Ander made me sigh A LOT. Wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did. When I told Bells from Hanging With Bells that nothing I was reading was sticking, she said I should give this book a try. I read the description, and wasn't sure about it. Virgin stories rarely hold my attention. However, it was free, so I grabbed thinking that B is rarely wrong when it comes to books, so why not take a chance on it? I have to say that I owe Bells BIG TIME for recommending this book to me. I devoured it. I loved it so much that if it weren't for Scandal being on tv I would have read it in one sitting. As it was it took just about 4 hours to read it. I love when I'm consumed by a book! This is one of those times where I feel my review of the book really doesn't come close to capturing my feelings for it. After reading so many cookie cutter books that had every cliche one could think of in the last few weeks, this book was a welcome change.
As much as I ended up adoring this book, the beginning was a little shaky. Lori as a character was a little stilted in both personality and conversation skills (she said yeah a lot) however, even though it was realistic-who wouldn't be afraid their first time?? It still was a little hard to get through. I was just about to put this book down when something happened: Anders twitching became adorable and I was sold on him. It seems like such a little thing, but I loved how when they were in a middle of having sex and Lori would say something cute that would make his mouth twitch, and it was because he was having a hard time trying to hold the laughter in. Some examples:
"...Yes, I was able to understand the services you offer and what you charge for them, " she said her tone a little snippy. His mouth twitched, so slightly she almost didn't catch it."
".. With a scowl for Ander, she said, "It's your fault, so you have no reason to laugh. If you had hair, you'd look messy too. The smile that had been twitching on the edges of his mouth emerged completely. "No argument here."
"...You're stretching credibility at the moment. My hair is a mess, my cheeks are beet red, and I'm a little suspicious of my nose." His lips twitched. "Your nose is red too." Lori released an outraged huff at this horrifying information and tried to pull away. Ander wouldn't let her go. He laughed and pressed a kiss on the side of her mouth. "I've never seen anything more gorgeous in my life."
Those quotes really don't do the twitch justice, but believe me it's adorable. :) Aside from the twitching, Anders is not your typical love interest, but I loved him even more for that and how he wouldn't let Lori talk down about herself. Even though he did that for her, he was always surprised when she did the same from him. Both of these characters just grow so much in this book. I loved how realistic their relationship was. It starts out being stilted, but as they spend more time together, Lori realizes that there is more to Anders then she first thought. The two become friends, and I love how cautious they are with each other but are totally there for each other, yet are shocked when one stands up for the other. Anders is such a tortured soul that my heart strings just pulled for him, and I loved watching Lori bring him to life.
There are very few eroticas that manage to tell a great story while having hot sex scenes, but this one does. I just loved Ander and Lori's story, and the epilogue just made me sigh.
