Lori’s review of Sexy as Hell by Susan Johnson.
Osmond, Baron Lennox, is known for his luck with cards and with women. But it seems his good fortune may have run out when a planned assignation with his mistress goes terribly awry. Specifically, he finds himself in bed with the wrong woman. The potential scandal leaves him with one option: marry the lady in question. And fast. However, Isolde Percival, Countess of Wraxell, has no intention of marrying Lennox or anyone else. In fact, she set up the compromising situation herself to avoid such a fate. That’s just fine with Lennox, who never envisioned himself tied down to just one woman – especially one so headstrong and independent. Who would have thought that Lennox and Isolde would find something else in common – something that just might draw them closer to each other than they could have imagined?
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I intensely disliked this book. For several reasons. First, the hero is a slobbering drunk. Oz and Izzy spend all their time either arguing and hating one another, or having sex. And not necessarily with each other. Oz keeps a mistress almost until the very end of the book. They fight and argue until the very last chapter at which time they declare their love for one another and they all lived happily ever after. Ugh.
So… hero is an alcoholic. And an asshole. A cheating asshole at that.
Heroine is a bitch. And a manipulative one at that.
They have sex the first time they meet, in fact, almost immediately. Then spend the rest of the book arguing and screwing.
While I found several redeeming qualities in this book’s predecessor, Gorgeous as Sin, I found almost nothing at all to recommend this one. I was surprised that the hero was only in his early 20s – he had so much hard living behind him. When it was revealed that Oz was poisoned, I was thinking, “Finally. Put me out of my misery.” But of course, he recovered, damn it. Lived to screw someone else another day.
If you don’t care about glorified alcoholism, infidelity, or unlikable characters, then I recommend this book. If those things bother you? Don’t bother.
1 out of 5.
You can read more from Lori by visiting, I Just Finished Reading and Living in the House of Testosterone.
This book is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
ETA: Sorry all, I had the wrong title in there. Fixed now! Hope I didn’t cause any inconvenience with my mistake. – xoxo, Holly
I’ve got a Susan Johnson book I got from b&n called ‘hot property’.. the blurb’d reeled me in, but I’ve been seeing A FEW less-than-impressive reviews on her lately.. I am holding high hopes for Hot Property though..and I’ll come back and compare my Susan Johnson experience with yours =)
great guest review
I tried this book and it was a DNF for me. Could not get into it at all.
Tell us how your really feel Lori! Don’t hold back now!
(thx for taking one for the team!)
How does a book like this get an ok by an editor and ultimately get published? Seriously, confounding.
Unfortunately, I have this book in the TBR pile. Purchased it new too, at one of those very rare times that I picked up a book without checking reviews first. Major bummer.
After Gorgeous as Sin I don’t think I’ll be picking up another of her books. So glad I steered clear of this one.
Eh, He sounds like an ass, she sounds like an ass, I’ll skip this one