Rating: 
Summary: Exciting erotic romance
Review: Nasty Evangeline Clouet was the driving force behind the success of elite Meilleurs Amis Boutiques found around the world in spots for the jet setting rich and famous. However, Evangeline pushed a lover too far and he killed her. The business is run by Evangeline's boy toy husband Philip Carmichael while her daughter Beatrix stays away preferring to paint.Bea arrives at the office and abruptly kisses her stunned stepfather Philip who she has loved since she met him as a teen. Soon she is under his desk playing with his wang as he listens to an accounting report that tells him the New York store is in trouble. Unable to resist Philip comes, but afterward tries to return to prim and proper. However, Bea knows she has the upper hand as he cannot ignore her lure. As they fall in love, a hostile takeover of the business occurs that places Bea best friend pulled between loyalty to her buddy and her lover, leading the takeover. Readers who enjoy erotic romance that does not wait to turn up the heat will appreciate this sex in the boardroom just don't read in a public place unless you want to be considered Meg Ryan in the restaurant scene of When Harry Met Sally. The story line is either boudoir but not always in the bedroom or at the boutiques' offices though none of the key players except for Evangeline comes across as a business barracuda. Fans will gain immense pleasure with this sex anywhere is convenient tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Erotic romance
Review: No one does it like Emma Holly. She really is the only author I've ever read who can neatly balance hot, hot sex and realistic characters and relationships without sacrificing either one. Bea and Phillip, Bea's best friend and her lover, Simon are all superbly drawn. The sex scenes are all spicy and scorching (make the appropriate preparations beforehand), but none are really gratuitous. Each develops an aspect of personality or connection that keeps the reading of PERSOANL ASSESTS from feeling hollow.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 *s Passion, Sex and even Love! Classic Holly
Review: Now this is Emma Holly! I enjoyed her historicals (BEYOND INNOCENCE & SEDUCTION) however; I did not care for her paranormal CATCHING MIDNIGHT (I didn't even bother with HUNTING MIDNIGHT). But this book is my favourite by this author so far (I may just have to check out COOKING UP A STORM). Sure I expected the steamy erotica, but what I didn't expect was that I would care so much about these characters! The story surrounds four people all with some connection to exclusive Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis (Best Friends). Beatrix Clouet is the estranged daughter of the boutique's founder, Eve, who has recently passed away. Philip Carmichael is Eve's much younger husband and CEO of the chain of shops. Parisian society has long believed (with some justification) that Philip was nothing more than Eve's boy toy. But now that she's gone, Philip is determined to prove that he's more than a pretty face - that he is a CEO to be reckoned with and that he can successfully run the company without Eve. Beatrix has been in love with Philip since she first saw him (he's only five years her senior after all) but Philip has always treated her with the kindly attention of a doting stepfather. Now, with her mother gone Bea can no longer hold her feelings back and she and Philip share several steamy encounters that, though he enjoys them, he feels are wrong. Though he obviously has feelings for Bea, the fact that she is his stepdaughter holds him back. Can Bea convince him that a relationship between them is not wrong and that they belong together? Meanwhile, Bea's American best friend Lela Turner puts herself forward to be manager of the New York shop, though she has no experience. She gains a one-month trial from Philip and off she goes. Lela is confident that she can succeed in managing the shop, but a month to learn the ropes may not be enough time. One day a dark haired businessman enters the shop and an electric connection is palpable between them. Turns out he's Simon Graves, CEO of Graves Department Stores who, unbeknownst to Lela, is planning to buy out Meilleurs Amis! Their obvious mutual attraction leads to a seemingly cold deal: he teaches her about management and finance and she becomes his mistress. But it quickly becomes apparent that there is more here than just sex. Lela's blithe and streetwise exterior hides a vulnerable desire to belong, to have the family she was denied growing up. And Simon turns out to be a kindred spirit, but a lucky one in that a wealthy but warm couple adopted him, saving him from his unhappy life in an orphanage. Will each finally find the contentment they seek in the other? Of course the fate of Meilleurs Amis, Philip's future as CEO and Lela's as manager of the New York store must be sorted out but will these two couples survive the upheaval? Obviously, there is plenty of sex here, including two threesomes, so if edgy sex offends you, you probably should not be reading Emma Holly in the first place. I enjoyed this story of sex and love and hopes and dreams and I highly recommend it for those who like this type of story. Bon appetit!
Rating:
Summary: Erotic Emma at her Best!
Review: Think Harlequin-type novel with four main characters....add hot sex, WAH-LA you've filled an empty afternoon!
Rating:
Summary: Romantica at its best
Review: This book is similar to Emma Holly's erotica stories originally published by Black Lace, but this one has been marketed as a romance novel by Berkley. This definitely pushes the limits of what we think of as romance, and I congratulate Holly for that. This story is a blend of romance and erotica, better known as romantica. There are multiple explicit sex scenes in every chapter, multiple characters having sex with different partners, even some menage a trois and male/male sex. And yet the story focuses on the growing love between two different couples, and the plot itself that ties the whole story together is well-thought out by Holly. I have always appreciated Holly's open-minded attitude toward human sexuality and erotica, as well as her expertise at crafting very steamy and diverse sex scenes. The fact that she has been able to successfully translate all of that into a book that is considered a romance novel is noteworthy. The only reason I give this book 4 stars rather than 5 is because in my opinion the ratio of sex scenes to story plot is skewed a little too much in the direction of the sex. Since this is a romance novel and not pure erotica, I would have liked to have seen a little more storytelling to round out all those sex scenes. As it was, there were just little snippets of plot bridging explicit scene after explicit scene of very hot sex. But let me repeat, what Emma Holly has accomplished with this book is a benchmark in the romance genre, and I hope she will continue to push the limits by writing more romantica in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Erotic Emma at her Best!
Review: This has been my favorite Emma Holly book to date! In her latest novel Ms. Holly takes us on a rollercoster ride while we follow the ups and downs of two best friends while they live life and find love in the least of unlikely places. Set in Paris, and New York this is a story that takes you from one extreme to another with the end result of two very different women finding just what they each need in their special someone. One should be warned in advance that Ms. Holly's reads are erotic but with that in mind the love scenes are not gratuitous in nature and are really part of the storyline. Ms. Holly is a very talented author and one that highly recommend!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!!
Review: This has been my favorite Emma Holly book to date! In her latest novel Ms. Holly takes us on a rollercoster ride while we follow the ups and downs of two best friends while they live life and find love in the least of unlikely places. Set in Paris, and New York this is a story that takes you from one extreme to another with the end result of two very different women finding just what they each need in their special someone. One should be warned in advance that Ms. Holly's reads are erotic but with that in mind the love scenes are not gratuitous in nature and are really part of the storyline. Ms. Holly is a very talented author and one that highly recommend!!!!
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