Format read: ebook provided by NetGalleyFormats available: ebook
Genre: Historical romance
Length: 48 pages
Publisher: Loveswept
Date Released: June 24, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo
It is with great discretion that this columnist discusses the sensitive topic of undergarments. Some ladies, it seems, do not pay strict attention to what they wear under their gowns. A crucial error, my ladies.
Lady Violet knows Lord Christian Jepstow is interested in women. The problem is, he hasn’t seemed to realize that Violet is a living, breathing woman—a woman with needs. Which is a huge problem, considering the fact that Violet and Christian are betrothed. Violet has no intention of saying her vows without knowing if her husband has the capacity to love her properly, so she does what anyone would do in her situation—she steps into his study and offers to take off her clothes. What happens next could be an utter disaster … or it could be surprising, seductive, and sizzlingly sexy.
My Review:
Hot, short, cute, frothy.
I get the feeling this is a prequel novella for the author’s upcoming What Not to Bare, since the characters in this one are a) baring everything and b) the excuse is the secret authorship of an advice column “What Not to Bare” that is normally written by the hero’s sister. Of course she’s writing under a pen name too.
The pseudonym of of a pseudonym.
The column is about women’s underwear, and the hero shouldn’t be writing it in the first place. But Lord Christian Jepstow needs a woman to model the undergarments he is writing about and his betrothed Lady Violet is all too happy to use the advice column as an excuse to show him her knickers…and everything else.
Because he hasn’t even kissed her yet. He didn’t kiss her after she accepted his marriage proposal. She’s not sure he wants to kiss her. She’s sure he likes women, there have been plenty of stories in that direction, but the question is whether he’s interested in her in particular.
If he isn’t, she’ll cry off the marriage. Because Violet does love him, and has ever since she was a girl of ten.
Christian hasn’t noticed. He’s been too busy burying himself in science and abstract mathematics. But offering to take off all her clothing damned well makes him notice. And reminds him just how distracting a beautiful woman can be. Something that Christian had been deliberately trying not to notice.
It takes more than a few dropped garments, and a bit of carnal knowledge, for Christian to admit to himself that the reason he has so thoroughly buried himself in his science is to keep himself from noticing the very distracting Violet.
Because once the matter has been brought to his attention, he can’t stop noticing. And doesn’t want to. Which is just fine with Violet. Finally.
Escape Rating B: Baring It All is one extended love-and-sex scene between two people who go from being friends into lovers during the course of the very short story. From Violet’s perspective it’s a dare and it’s daring, her whole future is on the line as well as her heart.
Christian doesn’t want to be distracted from his plans, and it takes him a while to wake up and realize that Violet is not only just what he wants, but also just what he needs.
For a good time, read Baring It All.
