Location
Heat Factor: These teenage college first years get up to stuff, but the door is firmly closed.
Character Chemistry: Layered and complex, with a mutual forbidden desire and a rivalry for the top spot in the NHL draft
Plot: Mickey’s difficulty acknowledging his mental health struggles makes all of the burdens of his own and others’ expectations for him much, much heavier.
Overall: This book made me cry.
Heat Factor: It’s short and steamy!
Character Chemistry: It’s a pretty sweet and average meet-cute at first, until everything clicks and you realize THEY’RE ONLINE ENEMIES!! Then it’s full steam ahead…
Plot: Megan is a fanfic writer who meets a fellow fan (who is also literally her other half, interests-wise) only to discover that Sarah is her harshest critic online. When she goes to confront her in their writer’s group, they end up stuck together and sparks fly.
Overall: This is short, sweet, witty, and funny—but yes, it does have a lot of niche-specific language that can be kind of confusing if you’re not into online fanfic.
All for You, Book 1
Heat Factor: Respect is sexy, especially in bed.
Character Chemistry: They just really like each other.
Plot: Sam always stands on her own feet. When she meets Graham, she realizes that being self-sufficient is kinda lonely, and that maybe she’ll be ok if she lets others help her sometimes.
Overall: Sometimes you just want a gentle, calm book, and this fits the bill. Plus, I learned more than I ever thought I’d know about fly fishing!
Heat Factor: Oh, my.
Character Chemistry: Well, it’s a good thing these guys hang out with academics, because someone needs to study the chemical reaction that happens every time they’re in the same general breathing space.
Plot: Mia is a grad student recovering from a really crappy relationship when she strikes up a heated romance with Brett—who is, as it turns out, her professor.
Overall: This book is a big boundary pusher, but it’s HOT. So some people are going to hate it, but it’s also pretty darn good.
Lessons Learned Book #1
Heat Factor: SOOOOO hot. So hot.
Character Chemistry: These two. These TWO. She sees him, he brings out her shiny backbone. Love love.
Plot: Mia and Tyler end up as partners in a lab psychology lab project and while they start out rubbing each other the wrong way it doesn’t take them very long to rub each other the RIGHT way, much to Tyler’s dismay
Overall: Just…a flurry of feelings and then really well-written whoopie, and then feelings, and then I cried, and I loved it so much. So, so much.
The Smut Report 