Vanilla is a highly erotic novel and Megan Hart expertly weaves a very sweet romance into the storyline as well. There is also an amazing amount of depth and emotional healing for the main protagonist. It is another multi-layered, complex novel by one of my favorite authors that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Elise is sexually confident and she unapologetically embraces her sexuality. While she does not like inflicting pain or humiliation on her partners, she does like to dominate submissive men. She is beautiful and smart with a lucrative, successful career but she has not been in a serious relationship since a bad break up four years earlier. Although she has been in a long term relationship with a man she met through a BDSM dating site, their interactions are purely sexual and neither is emotionally invested. Elise is obsessing over the man who broke her heart and although he offers her no encouragement, she still continues to send him messages when she is feeling emotionally vulnerable. When she meets Niall, she is surprised by her attraction to someone who is clearly uncomfortable with her desires.

Elise is a likable, no nonsense type of woman and she does let anyone push her around. This self assurance makes it all the more puzzling when she continues to pursue the man who crushed her heart. It is incredibly frustrating watching her pour her heart out to him time and again only to have him continue to reject her. While her current arrangement with her lover satisfies her sexual needs, she is beginning to miss a more intimate connection and when he inexplicably ends their relationship, Elise is stunned by the sense of loss she experiences.

When Elise meets Niall at an art exhibit where she is one of the featured models, he knows upfront about her "kinks". He is also honest that he does not understand her desires and while there is an instant connection between them, he backs off pretty quickly. When their paths unexpected cross at her nephew's bar mitzvah, the two pick up their relationship where they left off. For the first time in her life, Elise is in a relationship with someone who takes a slow approach to dating and although they indulge in some very steamy make out sessions, they do not immediately jump into having sex. Elise is happy with Niall, but she struggles with letting him into her heart while he finds it difficult to relinquish control in the bedroom.

Although a little slow-paced in the beginning, Vanilla is a very captivating read. Elise is a complex and intriguing character and while much of his back story is never revealed, Niall is a nice man who genuinely likes and appreciates her. The storyline is unpredictable and as always, Megan Hart puts her characters through an emotional but healing journey before they can find their happily ever after.

All in all, Vanilla is another extremely satisfying novel that is the perfect combination of blazing hot sex and a surprisingly tender romance. ( )

Thanks to Goodreads and Harlequin for a free copy!

So, I'm going to start off by saying that erotica is waaaay outside of my comfort zone, both for reading and for reviewing. But this story still grabbed me, which is, I think, a testament to two major factors.

The first is the writing itself. Megan Hart knows how to turn a phrase. There are some really great, poetic descriptions and reflections that pop up in this book.

And the second is the other aspects of the plot. Which is to say... yes, this is erotica/romance, but that is not the only thing going on in this story. The book also explores the main character's interactions with her boss, her family, her friends. It's definitely not one of those stories where one relationship takes over the main character's entire life. And I really appreciate that. ( )

When the book first came out I purchased it (auto buy) and then forgot about it sitting on my Kindle. Time went by and I was looking for a new Megan Hart book to read. I then noticed that it was an Alex Kennedy series book. When I went to purchase it I saw that I already had it. Yay!

I didn't really know what to expect, just as with all of Mrs. Hart's books. I thought the book started really strong but 3/4 of the way in it just dropped a bit for me. With that said, it was still a 4 Star read. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Vanilla is a realistically raw look into a damaged and flawed mind. This is not your typical happy love story. I loved Megan Hart’s stellar writing style, I just couldn’t get into this relationship.

Opening Sentence: The hum and the sting.

The Review:

Vanilla is not your typical love story and it definitely was not what I was expecting. If you go into this novel thinking that you will be surprised. Vanilla is a realistically raw look into a damaged and flawed mind. Elise has suffered from a past relationship. A relationship that she compares everything to yet she never really discloses what happened to make her the way she is. Elise doesn’t hide the fact that she likes to dominate men in the bedroom. She even likes to model for pictures doing what she loves, something that her mother really hates. Elise has a lover that she meets once a month satisfying both of their fetishes. Her love life does take an abrupt turn when her lover gets clingy. Then almost, a third of the way through the novel we finally glimpse Niall, the man she is going to fall in like/lust/love with. I have a really hard time trying to define their relationship.

The bulk of the novel was Elise dealing with her relationship issues and hoping to have a real loving relationship with a man instead of just having sex. Elise loves to dominate during sex but she does believe that if she finds the right guy then maybe things could change. All she is asking for is a little give and take with both parties as willing participants.

Elise is damaged and flawed. Vanilla is also about her working through her issues and coming to peace with her life. Her character does change and evolve over the course of the story. I had more of a like/hate relationship with her as the novel progressed. I liked how she acted as the voice of reason at times, especially with her family but she really frustrated me with her clinginess and stubbornness. She would keep things in instead of talking it out, she would rather be mad. Although, there is one scene where I totally agreed with her anger so I will forgive her for that. Elise is also not ashamed of the choices that she makes in life. She stands by what she believes in and doesn’t make excuses for it.

One thing that I really loved about Vanilla. It felt very realistic in the issues that Elise faced. Her conversations were spot on about everyday life and how people deal with their issues and talk to one another. I really did enjoy her interactions with her family and friends. I felt like there was a lot of depth to everyone. It is the little things that really make a story. It almost felt like a real life story, because no one person or family is perfect.

I had two really huge beefs with this story. One of them was Elise’s obsessive/stalkery personality. As soon as she began sending messages to the guy who hurt her, I wanted to drop out of the story but I kept going. She would also obsessively check to see if he saw her messages or was even online. My other issue was the frustration with her relationship with Niall. I just didn’t get it. I would get so upset by their interactions that I wanted to throw my Kindle just because their arguments would make me mad.

Vanilla is told in the first person. It has a bit of a gloomy air to the story, because this world isn’t all sunshine and happiness, but there are some really funny scenes especially the ones that involve her boss.

I would recommend Vanilla for those who like a more realistic story. Vanilla wasn’t wrapped up with a happy little bow, more of a happy “for now” ending.

Notable Scene:

“It’s a big responsibility, you know. Keeping me happy,” I said against his mouth. My fingers toyed with the length of his hair in the back, and when he shivered, I grinned. “I can be very particular.”

“I know, I know,” Niall said. “Lime in the iced tea, not lemon.”

I’d been dreamy, teasing, but at this I pushed away from him then so I could turn and keep my face from him. Not because I was mad or sad, but because in all my life, there’d never been a man who’d bothered to pay attention to such a small detail…or who got it right.

And then he hit a home run.

“You were left-handed as a kid,” he continued in a low voice from behind me. “But someone must’ve made you switch, huh?”

Slowly, I turned, my heart pounding so hard it’s a wonder it didn’t block out the sound of anything but its beating. “Yes. My mother. Evan was right-handed, and she thought I should be, too. The kindergarten teacher said nobody forced lefties to switch any longer, but my mom insisted anyway. I learned to write right-handed, but yeah…I’m a leftie. I’ve never told anyone that.”

“You didn’t have to tell me. You automatically reach with your left hand,” he said. “I’ve watched you do it with just about everything. I figured.”

That was it, then. The moment I knew. Despite how strangely it had begun, the time I’d so far spent with him still so short it was hardly time at all, when I stood in front of him and knew that Niall Black knew me, really fucking knew me, that was it. I was done.

I was in love.

FTC Advisory: Harlequin Mira provided me with a copy of Vanilla. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

3.5

Megan Hart es la reina de los romances eróticos.

Siempre feminista, siempre con protagonistas maduras e impredecibles.

Adoración total. Lo mejor que hay en el género. ( )