Blogmas Day 23: Book Review – Smut by Karina Halle

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 finally 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 a pushy asshole (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her ass (though it’s a brilliant ass), they fight tooth and nail until they discover they write well together. They also may 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 start to 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?

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I loved the concept of this book when I first read the synopsis. I’m pretty sure I saw it on Goodreads and immediately went to buy it.

Seriously, I can hear my TBR shelf yelling at me.

The novel was pretty great. I really did enjoy the cast of characters, the story line, the steam, the romance.. it was a pretty solid romance.

What I didn’t enjoy about it was how long winded it was. There’s sometimes when you’re reading a novel that it’s seriously like.. “Get to the point already.” and that was the case with this one. Whether or not it was my mood/attitude at the time or if the novel was over written, I’m not sure. But it definitely took some of the enjoyment out of it.

I did love Blake and Amanda together and their fighting and arguments were pretty amusing to read.

I do have to bring up, though, that vomit was written about way too much in the first three chapters. Yuck.

Maybe it was my mood, or maybe it was the novel, but I wasn’t crazy about this one. It was a good read and I read it in a day but I’m sure by tomorrow I will have forgotten 90% of what happened.

Pick this up if you’re looking for some amusing banter and some steam.

Until next time,

In the spirit of this wonderful holiday, I’m going to do a giveaway! All you need to do is comment on and like at least one post during the next 25 days and you’ll be entered to win a book($20.00 or less) of your choice from Book Depository.  Winner will be chosen and announced December 29th.