The Heat is On by Elle Kennedy

Book 6 in the Out of Uniform Series

www.ellekennedy.com

KINKS: Threesomes (two guys and a gal), Anal

As usual (though I wouldn’t say always) with short, sexy novellas they could use those extra twenty pages. This book had all the sexy flavor it needed: sugar and spice and everything naughty galore. Unfortunately the romance between our hero, Matt O’Connor, and our heroine, Savannah Harte, was sorely lacking.

First, I was disappointed with Matt in this one. In novella five he was a real charmer with a delectable southern drawl. He was an unrepentant man whore. As such, I was really excited to see his story. Unfortunately, it seemed that Kennedy didn’t quite know what to do with Matt – he was too charming, too sexually indiscriminate, for her to handle. So instead she used a very saucy Savannah to disarm him and instead of having him rise to the challenge she supplied, he got to stutter his way through being stunned by her… I don’t know, by her beauty or something. I was sorely disappointed as he went from being suave and cool to an amateur.

Savannah had issues, but I liked the way she dealt with them. Her insecurities, hiding behind her blasé exterior, seemed very real and I was glad her character rang true. Some might call her easy, or sleazy, but I would call her refreshingly contemporary. Kennedy throws the stereotype of “a woman who gets laid a lot is a whore, a man who gets laid a lot is a hero” in our faces. Savannah can be hated or loved for her ‘easiness’, but I found her total sexual freedom electrifying. 

 Matt’s determination to hold on to her was cute and fun even if a little unrealistic for the aforementioned reasons. I was able to enjoy the story even if it was an average run-of-the-mill Samhain novella. I gave a less-than-average grade because I was so disappointed with Matt’s weak and nervous character and the lack of romance. I was really looking forward to this one and it was, in the end, a disappointment.

Favorite quotes: 

“Sounds like you think you’re attractive.” (Savannah to Matt)

“I don’t like games, Superman.” (Savannah)

“Neither do I.” He paused. “Except Scrabble. I’m pretty good at that one.” (Matt)

“So?” she cut in. “I get along with my dentist – that doesn’t mean we love each other.” (Savannah)

“Sexy”ness rating: Hot aplenty!

Overall Rating: C-

Bottom Line: As usual in the Out of Uniform series, it’s all about the sex and not nearly enough about the romance. This book wasn’t bad – it just was a little lacking in the ‘love’ arena.

Pages: around 100 to 110 pages (hard to tell on the Kindle)

Published: April 5, 2011

Genre: Contemporary