Wicked & Willing (Bad Girls)

Rating:
Summary: heated contemporary romance
Review: Venus Messina loves suds and jeans so she rejects the thought that she could be a millionaire's long lost granddaughter. She fears, if true, that she would lose all she relishes about life and her childhood dream would definitely and melancholy end as being an heiress is not part of her makeup. Thus she wants to say she is the wrong person to Max Longotti.

Troy Langtree finds himself in an untenable situation. He wants Venus in his bed, but also needs to keep his current employment after the fiasco of his previous mixing of bedrooms and boardrooms. Making matters harder (pun intended) is that she wants him too, but she has no inhibition to keep her from reaching out to him. Yet Troy knows he must keep his libido in check while persuading Venus to at least meet Max.

Though WICKED AND WILLING is label a "Bad Girl Club" tale, that description seems too narrow for someone as vivacious as Venus is. She is an individual who lives life to the fullest, filled with gusto for the people and things she likes, in other words: Attitude. She is assertive and often aggressive, but when she loves everyone knows. In some ways, Troy is more a secondary character, but readers will relish his ability to encourage his beloved to be herself, only share it with him. Together they turn Leslie Kelley's novel into a heated contemporary romance.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence
Review: Venus Messina scoffs at the idea that she might be the long lost granddaughter to a millionaire. She loves Irish pubs, drinking beer, and wearing jeans. Designer clothes and exquisite jewelry have never held much appeal for her. Worse, accepting this connection to a grandfather would men that her childhood dream would end in tragic sadness instead of the joyful reunion for which she has always longed.

From first glance, Venus immediately inspires thoughts of hot, sweaty nights and erotic possibilities for Troy Langtree. He certainly did not expect to find such a woman when he accepted this new job with Max Longotti in Atlanta. Unfortunately, as the possible granddaughter of his employer, their relationship threatens to screech to a halt almost upon introduction; that is, if it were not for his daring and her bravado.

Author Leslie Kelly compromises this bad girl's love for the wild side despite her opulent surroundings and extraordinary windfall in WICKED AND WILLING. Venus embodies the goddess elements of her namesake with brazen self-confidence and a refusal to compromise the qualities that make her so disarmingly unique. Indeed, her tiny hummingbird tattoo perfectly suits her aggression and beauty, as Troy so quickly recognizes. On the other side, Troy is an equally marvelous hero who treasures Venus' scintillating qualities without expecting or desiring that she change. Their shared overwhelming desire and naughty games will keep readers turning the pages quickly if only to see what they are up to next. Together Venus and Troy are one of the most marvelously matched, sexually charged couples of series romance. WICKED AND WILLING earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.