I heard about Mia Storm and her Jail Bait series with Getting Dirty (my review here), so it was bound to happen that I'd read GETTING HOT. Are you ready? ;o)
Release Day August 17
Rules of engagement:
1) You have the right to use force to defend yourself.
2) Fire may be returned to stop a hostile attack.
3) You may not seize the property of others to accomplish your
mission.
4) Detention of civilians is authorized in self-defense.
Delilah Morgan and her older sister Destiny have been on their own for two years, since their parents burned down the family home and went to jail for cooking meth. She’s street smart and tough. Nothing about her says sixteen, and she’s not about to tell anyone, especially Bran, the hot ex-marine bartender Destiny has her eye on. He’s stable and successful and everything her sister needs to keep them off the street. The only problem, something about Bran inspires her and suddenly she’s writing the best music she ever has. About him.
Branson Silo knows what it means to be in the line of fire. Home for a year from his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, he thinks he’s safe…until he meets Delilah. Despite her sharp tongue that makes him want to take cover, he can’t deny the attraction. But when he hires her to play weekends at his family’s saloon, he finds out she’s more than he can handle…which is saying something considering he used to blow things up for a living.When the grenade finally explodes and the shrapnel flies, will Bran be left standing? Or has he survived years at war only to be taken down by Jail Bait?
MY OPINION
The forbidden
enthralls the dark part of our minds, but it works better when it's deeply
laced with soulful meaning.
Bran and
Lilah have all that in spades.
Their story
is as real as hot, and I loved it.
Double POV is
perfect to know the characters inside out, so I felt connected to their reasons
for behaving as they did. Bran has screwed half the planet, which I didn't care
for, but he's an ex-Marine with issues and a fear that life will not amount to
much. Things that give him depth. On the other hand, Lilah sings at this bar to
earn some money to aid her sister to pay the rent after their parents go off
the map in seedy circumstances. The past that haunts this girl is creepy.
The heat they
produce together could melt cement.
The fact that
she's underage and he's slept with her sister are obstacles, but not
deterrents. He doesn't know about her age, of course. And I could relate to her
decision not to tell him because that would break the spell of confidence and
beautiful attraction he casts on her.
The
relationship develops in a timely manner, based on brazen chemistry as they
share those hours while she sings at his bar. Slowly, they get to know each
other's circumstances, and the author does a great job painting the characters
as people beyond their insanely hot attraction.
The way he
finds out about her age really worked and it's only the trigger of a huge
epiphany of drama, deep emotions, and more secrets coming to light that
absolutely stunned me. This book is much more than a forbidden romance, it's
that in hot words but also a path to redemption, freedom and love for people of
flesh and blood and beautiful feelings.
I confess my
unconditional devotion to Mia Storm's idea of jail bait stories that tug at
your libido as much as at your heart. Perfect!
HOW DO THEY MEET?
I’m
blending a pair of frozen daiquiris with one hand and shaking a martini with
the other when out of the corner of my eye, I see a solo blonde slide onto the
barstool at the end, near the beer taps. I finish what I’m doing and prepare
the tray for Carol to pick up before glancing over and seeing its Destiny.
A
guy in the middle of the bar makes eye contact and nods at his empty beer mug.
I grab it and start filling without really looking up at her. “Didn’t think I’d
see you again till closer to closing.”
“Sorry?”
she says. “Are you talking to me?”
The
voice is off—slightly raspy and a pitch lower than her usual. I look up again
and squint at her, wondering if she’s already started drinking. She’s taken her
straight hair down from the ponytail she always wears it in and it’s not as
long as I remember it from the other night—the only other time I’ve seen it
down. There’s also a fading blue stripe cutting through the platinum over her
right ear that I’ve never noticed before.
“What
can I get you?” I ask her instead of pushing it.
I’m
already reaching for the vodka and cranberry to start on a Madras, her drink of
choice last week, when she answers, “Rum and Coke.”
“That’s
different,” I mutter, shooting her another glance.
She
gives me a puzzled look. “Look, I really just wanted to find out if you hire
entertainment.”
My
face mirrors her puzzlement, I’m sure, as I try to process her statement.
“Why?”
She
hunches to the side and pulls something up from her feet. I see it’s a battered
black guitar case when the narrow end peeks over the top of the bar. “Because I
need a gig.”
“Didn’t
know you played,” I say, pushing her drink across the bar to her.
That
baffled look is back as she pulls it toward her and takes a swallow. I can’t
help following the curve of her long neck downward toward a pair of large round
tits perfectly outlined by her snug, low-cut T-shirt. She is definitely hot,
and if we’re on the same page, then I’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. She
wants me to fuck her till she screams? I’m perfectly capable of that. She sets
her drink down and catches me staring. She cuts me that wicked smile again,
causing my c*ck to stir. I return the smile, sending the innuendo right back at
her.
She
props her elbows onto the bar and leans forward, giving me a clear look down
her shirt. “Considering that we’ve never met before, I don’t find that
surprising.”
I’m
so absorbed in images of my face buried in those magnificent tits that it takes
me a second to process what she said.
My
eyes snap to hers. “Wait…what?”
She
reaches across the bar, offering me a hand. “Lilah.”
There’s
a full second all I can do is stare, wondering if this is one of those split
personality things you hear about sometimes. And in that second, through the
dim lighting, I take in all the tiny details—a dark mole at the outer corner of
her right eye; her eyes, silver instead of blue; the missing white
crescent-shaped scar above Destiny’s right eyebrow; and lips, a little fuller
than I remember—which are smirking at me now.
“You’re
not Destiny,” I say as it all clicks.
It’s
not a question, but she shakes her head. “No. I am most definitely not
Destiny.”
“Twins?”
I ask.
She
cocks her head playfully. “What do you think?”
“You’ve
got to be. You’re fucking identical except for the eyes.” I tap my forehead.
“And you’re missing a scar.”
Her
perfect blond eyebrow raises in amusement. “She’s the pretty one and I’m the
smart one.”
I
bark out a laugh as I reach across and shake her hand. “Bran Silo. Good to meet
you.”
She
doesn’t let go of my hand for a second after we’re done shaking—just long
enough to send a clear message that she’s interested.
A
knot forms in my gut, and I realize it’s guilt. Destiny and I have an
understanding, but regardless, I’m pretty sure fucking her sister would be way
outside the bounds of gentlemanly behavior. Not that anyone would ever mistake
me for a gentleman. “Destiny never mentioned she had a sister.”
“Doesn’t
surprise me.” She takes another drink, nearly polishing it off in a few big
gulps.
I
tip my head at it her glass. “Another?”
“My
limit is one,” she says, pushing her glass toward me. “Just Coke this time,
thanks.”
Carol
sweeps by on her way to the kitchen, dropping an order on my bar. “Thought you
left,” she says to Lilah without slowing down. “Careful or your favorite
customer might ask for you,” she adds, jerking her head at Mr. Hendricks as she
disappears through the swinging door.
I
bark out a laugh as I scoop ice into Lilah’s glass and fill it with Coke. “Good
to know I’m not the only one.”
Lilah
shrugs. “Happens all the time.” She slides out of her chair, lifting the guitar
case. “So do you want to hear me play or what?”
I
look around the crowded room, loud with chatter, drowning out the background
music. “We don’t generally have live entertainment,” I say, which is really an
understatement. We’ve never had live entertainment. But for some reason, I’m
not willing to shut Lilah down so fast.
When
my eyes find her again, annoyed impatience shines loud and clear out of her
gaze. “So that’s a no?”
I
feel my mouth pull into a cocky half-smile. “I didn’t say that.”
She
opens her case and pulls out her guitar, unabashedly climbing through the
window I left ajar for her. I watch as she sets herself up on the stool and
rests the guitar in her lap, gripping it softly but confidently. She starts
strumming, and I expect her to be discrete, since this is basically an
audition, but there’s not a shred of self-consciousness or embarrassment anywhere
in her disposition as she begins to belt out lyrics—an old No Doubt song that I
can’t remember the name of.
The
way she plays, as if on instinct; the passion in her voice, and the fact that
she’s really fucking good, starts to turn heads at the tables closest to us. As
they quiet and listen, more tables still, and soon the only thing she’s
competing to be heard over is the Kat Country on the speakers. But she doesn’t
decrease her volume. If anything, as eyes find her, she becomes louder, feeding
off the attention.
I
reach under the bar and click off the stereo, then lean onto the back counter
and cross my arms, listening as she finishes one song and launches into the
next.
A
guy at the bar pulls a five from his pocket and flags me down with it. I grab
his beer mug, but he shakes his head. “Is there a tip jar?” he asks with a nod
toward Lilah.
I
pull a fresh mug from under the bar and he slips the five inside, then I set it
at the end of the bar near Lilah. She cuts me a smile and her eyes slide down
my body as she sings.
And
fuck me. I lean my hands on the bar and press against the lower counter when my
dick won’t yield to my will. Without a doubt, everything Destiny has going on,
Lilah’s got that and more.
ABOUT THE MASTERMIND
Mia Storm is a hopeless romantic who is always searching for her happy ending. Sometimes she’s forced to make one up. When that happens, she’s thrilled to be able to share those stories with her readers. She lives in California and spends much of her time in the sun with a book in one hand and a mug of black coffee in the other, or hiking the trails in Yosemite.
Connect with her online at MiaStormAuthor.blogspot.com ,
on Twitter at @MiaStormAuthor,
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MiaStormAuthor
GIVEAWAY TIME
Good luck, book buddies :o)
