Lead and Follow by Katie Porter
Series:Club Devant, #1
Publication Date: January 8th 2013
Publisher:Samhain Publishing
ebook, 262 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website
Before I say anything else about Lead and Follow, I just have to take a moment and note that I picked up this book with a really open mind. You see I have never before read anything quite similar to this story. Never. But I just couldn't resist myself and ask this book for review (and here I really need to say a huge thank you to both Carrie Lofty and Lorelie Brown for providing me with a copy of this book upon my request).
I mean, have you read that premise? As soon as I read it I just had to get this book at all costs. I have a thing both for dancers and Russians. A hot Russian dancer? How could I ever resist that combo? No way! So, I picked this book up and literally devoured it! Oh it's that good and if it's possible, even better!
The writing style and character development is great as one would expect from the duo of authors. I'm not familiar with Lorelie Brown's writing style (but now I desperately want to!) but I'm in love with Carrie Lofty's writing style. I have still not read a story of hers that didn't grab me and in the end of day I didn't enjoy. So, as far as the writing is concerned, Lead and Follow is incredible! The characters are multi-dimensional, have wants and needs and they are flawed as any real person would be. So even though I couldn't really understand them (I'll explain in a bit why) and their needs and wishes I cared for them and I could connect with them. And it's the first time that I can connect with a set of characters I can't fully understand what motivates them.
So, let me explain now why I couldn't really understand the characters. Like I said in the beginning, it's the first time I read something like Lead and Follow. And that is a truly erotica novel. Yeah, that 50 Shades craziness has caught up with me, so sure, I have read some erotica novels, but nothing with menage or M/M romance in it. Lead and Follow is erotica in its very core. It's all about sex and carnal wishes but with a great set of characters and a plot in there. It has lots of hot sex in it, but even if the story is centered around sex, it's not just that. So, the reason I couldn't fully understand Dima and Lizzie was purely personal and simply because I couldn't myself fathom what motivated them. How could they love so much each other and engage in sex with others. I couldn't put myself in Lizzie's shoes and imagine myself being turned on by seeing the man I love having sex with another man. That's why I couldn't relate to the characters, but still, I could connect with them. To make a long story short, the whole story was outside my comfort zone. Am I making any sense?
Anyway, Lead and Follow delivers exactly what the premise indicates and then so much more!!! I couldn't care less if I understood the characters. The scenes were incredibly sexy and I couldn't care less if Dima was playing for both teams. He was one sexy man with an incredibly dirty mind!
But like I said, Lead and Follow, although centered around sex, isn't only about that. It explores relationships and their dynamics, how our fears can hold us back, from everything, and how much better it is to chase what you want even if you're afraid you might lose everything in the process. Because otherwise, you might lose the chance of even trying to.
Lead and Follow is how an erotica novel should be written. Because a good erotic story isn't only about well written sex scenes. It's about making you care for characters outside your comfort zone. And in that area, this story delivered everything I didn't even dare to hope for!
* This title was provided courtesy of the author for a review.
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website
The best partners share everything...
Lizzie Maynes's torn ACL threatens more than her career as an international Latin ballroom champion. During her lengthy recovery, her longtime professional partner, Dima Turgenev, has been dancing at the Chelsea District's most notorious burlesque, Club Devant. More than just dancing, he’s been experimenting with shocking new moves that make her want to pull him off stage and get back on tour as soon as possible--the better to keep their successful friendship safe.
Dima knows all about safety, and the lack thereof, because he blames himself for Lizzie’s injury. Far from the pressures of competition, Club Devant is the perfect creative venue to rebuild his rattled confidence. He’d love for Lizzie to join him and revel in the club's intoxicating freedoms. By exploring the new sensual energy simmering between them, they could become more than friends.
Paul Reeves, a recently divorced Texan starting over in the Big Apple, is all for joining the dancers as they blaze through sexual boundaries. But he also knows their sizzling trio won’t last. Lizzie and Dima belong together. Before the last sparks fade, he plans to transform two stubborn friends into lasting lovers--one raunchy lesson at a time.
Warning: Burlesque meets ballroom in this f***ing sexy book when a smoldering Russian dance god and a blonde firecracker with hips possessed by the devil share a sunny, filthy-minded Texan--for just a dance or two.
This review was originally published at Book Lovers Inc
Before I say anything else about Lead and Follow, I just have to take a moment and note that I picked up this book with a really open mind. You see I have never before read anything quite similar to this story. Never. But I just couldn't resist myself and ask this book for review (and here I really need to say a huge thank you to both Carrie Lofty and Lorelie Brown for providing me with a copy of this book upon my request).
I mean, have you read that premise? As soon as I read it I just had to get this book at all costs. I have a thing both for dancers and Russians. A hot Russian dancer? How could I ever resist that combo? No way! So, I picked this book up and literally devoured it! Oh it's that good and if it's possible, even better!
The writing style and character development is great as one would expect from the duo of authors. I'm not familiar with Lorelie Brown's writing style (but now I desperately want to!) but I'm in love with Carrie Lofty's writing style. I have still not read a story of hers that didn't grab me and in the end of day I didn't enjoy. So, as far as the writing is concerned, Lead and Follow is incredible! The characters are multi-dimensional, have wants and needs and they are flawed as any real person would be. So even though I couldn't really understand them (I'll explain in a bit why) and their needs and wishes I cared for them and I could connect with them. And it's the first time that I can connect with a set of characters I can't fully understand what motivates them.
So, let me explain now why I couldn't really understand the characters. Like I said in the beginning, it's the first time I read something like Lead and Follow. And that is a truly erotica novel. Yeah, that 50 Shades craziness has caught up with me, so sure, I have read some erotica novels, but nothing with menage or M/M romance in it. Lead and Follow is erotica in its very core. It's all about sex and carnal wishes but with a great set of characters and a plot in there. It has lots of hot sex in it, but even if the story is centered around sex, it's not just that. So, the reason I couldn't fully understand Dima and Lizzie was purely personal and simply because I couldn't myself fathom what motivated them. How could they love so much each other and engage in sex with others. I couldn't put myself in Lizzie's shoes and imagine myself being turned on by seeing the man I love having sex with another man. That's why I couldn't relate to the characters, but still, I could connect with them. To make a long story short, the whole story was outside my comfort zone. Am I making any sense?
Anyway, Lead and Follow delivers exactly what the premise indicates and then so much more!!! I couldn't care less if I understood the characters. The scenes were incredibly sexy and I couldn't care less if Dima was playing for both teams. He was one sexy man with an incredibly dirty mind!
But like I said, Lead and Follow, although centered around sex, isn't only about that. It explores relationships and their dynamics, how our fears can hold us back, from everything, and how much better it is to chase what you want even if you're afraid you might lose everything in the process. Because otherwise, you might lose the chance of even trying to.
Lead and Follow is how an erotica novel should be written. Because a good erotic story isn't only about well written sex scenes. It's about making you care for characters outside your comfort zone. And in that area, this story delivered everything I didn't even dare to hope for!
* This title was provided courtesy of the author for a review.
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