A Nix Review – All Fired Up by Vivian Arend and Elle Kennedy (4 Stars)

All Fired Up by Elle Kennedy, Vivian Arend
Series: DreamMakers #1
Published by Vivian Arend & Elle Kennedy on 2014-04-20
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 308
Format: eBook
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He’s ready to lead the way

Parker Wilson never thought he’d go from battle-hardened soldier to romance expert, but after his stint in the Rangers, that’s exactly what happened. As the owner of DreamMakers Inc., he helps other men win in the love department, using every resource available to plan the perfect date. When a routine recon turns into an unexpected night of passion, Parker’s mission becomes more personal—and he won’t give up until Lynn Davidson is all his.

She’s more than willing to follow

Lynn is a goner from the moment she lays eyes on the delectable Parker. She’s just ditched her boring almost-boyfriend and is tired of sticking to the straight and narrow. It’s time to walk on the wild side, and what better way than in the arms of the most irresistible man she’s ever met? But when their red-hot affair is threatened, it’ll take a team effort to make their dreams come true. Sexy adventures, alpha male, humorous situations.

FTC : I got this book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. I am a fan of Vivian Arend but that had no bearing on this review.

So… this was very different book to what I expected. I think I was expecting a particular author voice (because I have read so much of Vivian Arend’s stuff) but what I got had a completely different feel to it. The writing tone that the combination of these authors created was much lighter, much spunkier and much funnier than I was expecting. I loved it and spent most of the book chuckling to myself like a loon.

When Parker meets Lynn, he has been hired to create the perfect date for her and another man. What he quite quickly realises is that she and the other man are no longer an item and calls off the case. This is a bit of a relief because he is instantly attracted to her and, after getting quite uncomfortable watching her at a yoga class, he decides to make a play. After having a rather crappy time with men recently, Lynn decides that she needs to take to be more adventurous and open when it comes to the opposite sex and, when Parker catches her eye, she decides to take the plunge with him. Well, him and his partner Dean. The threesome wasn’t left-field for him but I was quite surprised that she had a threesome with two relative strangers after meeting them in a bar. As much as I enjoyed the scene (man, it was HOT), it felt a little out of character.

After the threesome, Parker gets a little possessive and makes a solo play for Lynn. What I fricking loved about this was that there was absolutely no slut-shaming or judgement from Parker; to him, they had all been part of the threesome and, as fun as it was, now she was to be his alone. You have no idea how often I see slut-shaming in this genre of books so yay to these authors 🙂 Lynn and Parker then embark on the journey of a developing new relationship (i.e. LOADS of sex) but there is just one problem… Parker doesn’t tell her the truth about how they really met (idiot!). Yes, you are right, it will come back and bite him on the arse.

There is a bucketload of sex in this one and it’s all scorching hot. Some scenes didn’t seem to develop the plot but they did cement it; who would believe two 20-somethings would start a relationship and be able to keep their hands off each other? Every scene is hot, some of it’s adventurous and there is some seriously sexy talk.. I loved it!

The characters were well written and well rounded. I loved Parker, understood his character and his motivations, even if his lie of omission did annoy me slightly. The way that he wooed her was very cute and I loved that this very masculine character had no issues with showing his romantic side…he was yummy. However, I’m not sure I fully understood Lynn. Well, I think I understood the Lynn when she was with Parker but not the one before him. Why Phil the skeezy ex? WHY?? I loved her with Parker, I loved her maturity and I generally thought she was a strong character. But Phil? Really? And where do I get his anti-aging regime??(read the book … you’ll understand)

The side characters were fabulous and, again, I loved that these female characters were in complete acceptance and control of their sexuality. I can’t wait to read the other boys books but I can’t help but hope that Suz gets a book too.

Overall, this is a very hot, very funny yet light read that I did enjoy. I did see someone describe it as a perfect beach read but that all depends on how hot and bothered you want to get on a beach 😀