Audiobook Review ♥ Smut by Karina Halle

Smut by Karina Halle
Published by Metal Blonde Books on May 15th 2016
Pages: 316


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Smut is a standalone, tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy from the NYT bestselling author of The Pact.

What happens when the kink between the pages leads to heat between the sheets?

All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree and take over his dad's ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career.

What Blake and Amanda don't want is to be paired up with each other for their final project but that's exactly what they both get when they're forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is an arrogant jerk (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her (tight, round) bottom, they fight tooth and nail. That is until they discover they write well together. They also might find each other really attractive, but that's neither here nor there.
When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it's not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality. Sure, they still fight a lot but at least there's make-up sex now.

But even as they fall hard for each other, will their burgeoning relationship survive if their scandalous secret is exposed or are happily-ever-afters just a work of fiction?

NOTE ABOUT THE BOOK: Smut has coarse language and many explicit scenes of a sexual nature (sensitive readers be advised). However, the title of Smut is tongue-in-cheek, and this book should not be considered erotica.

Audio Book Review

My previous Karina Halle reads have involved lots of drama and angst, which made me curious. Can she pull off romantic comedy? Smut proves that the answer is yes—extremely well.

This book captured my attention from the very beginning with an absolutely hilarious first chapter. I fell hard for Amanda—the nerdy college student who desperately wants to be a fantasy writer despite her family’s objections. Blake is Amanda’s laid back, irritating manwhore classmate. The two get paired for an important writing assignment, and a surprising union is formed.

This is a story—or stories—within a story, with Blake and Amanda working together to write erotic novellas. Halle turns the entire process of writing into a humorous adventure—everything from choosing their pseudonym, to coming up with clever book titles, mapping out plots, and research. As a reader, reviewer, and blogger, I found their perspectives as authors to be especially intriguing and funny.

Their romance progresses at a steady, reasonable, and enjoyable pace, and I also appreciated their interactions with family and friends. This is definitely a book for the 18 and older reader due to language and graphic sexual nature. The title promises smut, and there are plenty of very dirty sex scenes peppered with wonderful playfulness. Perhaps the low point of the story is the quick and rather unsatisfying resolution with their family members.

As for the audio book, Lidia Dornet does a superb job narrating; however, I didn’t care for Shaun Grindell. He’s obviously British—just like Blake—but when he voices the Canadian characters, he sometimes slips back into a British accent or it comes out sounding southern. Also, his voice just doesn’t fit the image I had for Blake.

Don’t go looking for a lot of depth here, but if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted, highly amusing, and steamy romance, I recommend you try Smut.

Recommended for fans of:
Romantic comedy
Erotica
Geeky heroines

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