Bea's Book Nook: Review of Three Ways to Wicked by Jodi Redford

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Review of Three Ways to Wicked by Jodi Redford

Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Series: Wicked Shores #1
Format Read: Kindle Book
Source: gift from the author
Release Date: December 24, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Samhain

Blurb from goodreads:

"Three ingredients for a hot summer: sun, sand, and sizzling sex. "

"Wicked Shores, Book 1"

Following a nasty breakup with her ex, Kayla English is eager to get her erotic writing mojo back on track. Except progress on her current book has flatlined, right along with her belief in happily-ever-after.

Solution? Two weeks of solitude in the Florida sun thanks to some friends' generous offer to house-sit their place on the beach. She didn't count on having roommates-or on getting the sexiest peepshow of her life.

Seven years after an intimate encounter rocked their worlds, business partners Tyler Bishop and Gibb Masters have kept things strictly in the friend zone. A recent storm has left them homeless, though. They figure moving into Ty's parents' place is preferable to roughing it elsewhere, even if it means resisting the temptation to slip between the sheets with Kayla...and each other.

As the days heat up, so does their three-way attraction. But when emotions run deeper than any of them expect, three wary hearts must decide if it's worth the risk to write their own HEA.

Warning: This book brings the dirty. We're talking dirty sex in an outdoor shower, on a boat, and on the kitchen counter with a dirty-mouthed Casanova. In other words, all the good stuff with a side of glow-in-the-dark body paint.

Bea's Thoughts:

Puffer fish! There are puffer fish. What the heck are puffer fish? Fugly fish who are a mild obsession with the author and a running joke with some of her readers. Don't worry, the story is not about the fish; they only make a brief appearance. I was just absurdly excited to see them. :D The stars of the story are Kayla, her best friend's brother Ty, and his best friend Gibb. "Three Ways to Wicked" is a friends to lovers story which is a trope that I particularly enjoy. But in this case, there are three friends involved, which gets a bit complicated.

"Three Ways to Wicked" is a hot, sexy yet sweet romance. There's been a long-simmering attraction running among Kayla, Ty and Gibb and they finally act on it. Kayla wants more than just a fling but hesitates to ask for more; oddly enough, Ty and Gibb feel the same. But no one thinks to tell anyone else in the trio until late in the story. I wanted to smack all three of them. But, I wanted to kiss Jodi for focusing not just on the smexy times but also the emotional challenges of being a threesome. I wish she had gone into more depth with that but since some authors skip over it entirely, I was happy she at least gave it some consideration.

There are lots of barriers and potential barriers to an HEA for Kayla, Ty, and Gibb: Kay's mom disapproves of her career, Kay and Gibb are concerned abut the unconventionality of their threesome, Gibb is in the closet about his sexuality, Ty has a rep as a horn dog and his sister, Kay's best friend, is adamantly against their involvement. Now that last normally not a trope I like, it usually makes no damn sense, but in this case, the issue is Ty's rep as a player and that is a legit concern. He's changed but Bailey, his sister, is slow to recognize that plus Bailey is having romance troubles of her own. I smell a book for Bailey coming up, lol. Do Kay, Gibb, and Ty work out their problems? Does Kay reconcile with her mom? Does she come out to her friends about her career as an erotic writer? Does Bailey forgive Kay and Ty for hooking up? Do Ty and Gibb enjoy acting out scenes for her books? So many questions, so many answers. But not here; you have to read the book.

Likable and enjoyable characters, hot sex, humor, puffer fish; this story has it all. If, like me, you are in the midst of winter, grab this book and warm up! If it's not winter where you are, grab a bucket of ice and read!