Review & Trailer ♥ Licked by Brooke Blaine

March 3, 2016 Angela Reviews, Romantic Comedy, Trailers

Review & Trailer ♥ Licked by Brooke BlaineLicked (L.A. Liaisons, #1) by Brooke Blaine
Series: L.A. Liaisons #1
Published by Self-Published on November 10th 2015
Pages: 227
four-half-stars

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As the owner of Licked, an eclectic ice creamery and bar, Ryleigh Phillips doesn't have time for that love stuff. Serving up Nibble My Nuts sundaes and Drunken Sailor boozy shakes are as close to an orgasmic affair as she's had in months thanks to her expanding empire—until the night of her ten-year high school reunion.

When Ryleigh's crush, gorgeous ex-football god Cameron Mathis, comes streaking into her life (literally—streaking), she begins to wonder if she really can have it all.

Wouldn't it just figure that the moment you think life is perfect is when it falls spectacularly apart?

Enter Hunter Morgan, the contractor in charge of Licked's renovations.
Devastatingly handsome, and a smartass to boot, he's got his eyes on Ryleigh from the moment he finds her passed out on his couch (yeah, that's a long story). There's just one tiny complication—he happens to be Cameron's best friend.

When the lines between relationships and friendships blur, and it's impossible to choose between two delicious flavors, what's a girl to do? Taste a sample of each? Or go out and get LICKED?

Licked is the first book I’ve read by Brooke Blaine, and I’ve got to say I love her writing style. It’s very reminiscent of Alice Clayton in its sexy humor, but with a quirky, irreverent flair.

The book blurb perfectly summarizes the plot, so I won’t bother telling you what the story is about. The whole setup is entertaining, and I defy you not to fall in love with Ryleigh. She’s been an oddball her whole life with her retro wardrobe and obsession with everything 1950’s. She’s wacky and creative and she not only embraces those qualities about herself, she channels them into a successful business.

The concept of Licked ice creamery and booziery is genius. It’s a specialty ice cream shop that features sexy sundaes and alcoholic shakes named with risqué double entendres. Throughout the entire book, Ryleigh keeps topping herself with hilarious new concoctions such as Coke Whore float, Like a Virgin vanilla bean ice cream, S&M&M, Cookie Dil-dough, and the Castrated Ball (a single scoop), to name a few. Even the chapter titles are clever.

Then there’s Hunter. What a breath of fresh air that hottie is. He’s a bit cocky at first, but unexpectedly super sweet. Although he barely knows her, he just gets Ryleigh like nobody ever has and the sexual tension between them can be cut with a knife right from the start. They’re amazingly good together, which made me question why Hunter takes one small mistake and blows it way out of proportion. It seemed unreasonable to me, and I also had some issues with the resolution. Even so, Licked is a charming and whimsical story.

There’s an entire cast of characters that are funny and fascinating in their own right. It’s obvious there’s a ton of material left to mine from this wonderful crew. Each character—from Ryleigh’s crazy and devoted friends Shayne, Paige and Quinn; to Zoe, her unconventional co-worker; and even Cameron, her sexy high school crush—deserves their own book in the series.

I do have a small bone to pick with you though, Ms. Blaine. That ending. Really? In the words of The Supremes, “You just keep me hangin’ on.” It’s not a huge cliffhanger or anything, but a few unanswered questions remain and there’s no epilogue—which wasn’t very nice of you. At all. I hope we’ll get a taste (Get it?) of Ryleigh and Hunter in the next book, Hooker. I expect it will be another delightful story.

 

Recommended for fans of:
Sexy romantic comedies
Alice Clayton
Ice cream
Interior design
Vintage clothing

**Gifted copy provided in exchange for an honest review.**

Trailer

 

four-half-stars

About Brooke Blaine

Brooke Blaine

You could say Brooke Blaine was a book-a-holic from the time she knew how to read; she used to tell her mother that curling up with one at 4 a.m. before elementary school was her ‘quiet time.’ Not much has changed except for the espresso I.V. pump she now carries around and the size of her onesie pajamas.

Brooke enjoys writing sassy contemporary romance, whether in the form of comedy, suspense, or erotica. The latter has scarred her conservative Southern family for life, bless their hearts.

If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find – just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for ten years.



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