TEST
The disclaimer to S.A. Clayton’s, Wrapped in Red, states that her debut erotic romance is full of “…some sexy times that lead these characters to fall instantly… hard and fast.” In the case of ‘insta-love’ novellas, I allow for a fair amount of suspended disbelief given the brevity of the medium. Although I was prepared to surrender to the throes of a whirlwind romance, I felt neither swept away, nor thrilled by the protagonists’ love affair in this book.
While en route to her ex-boyfriend Derek’s ugly Christmas sweater party, intrepid heroine J.J. meets hunky Liam sitting in his parked car. J.J. and Liam are immediately infatuated by each other’s hotness. When J.J. reveals her concern about facing Derek and his new fiancée, Liam offers to attend the party as her faux boyfriend. In return, Liam asks J.J. to accompany him to his parents’ dreaded Christmas Eve party. The couple agrees to the terms knowing that this charade will be a great excuse to flirt and touch each other… a lot.
At Derek’s holiday shindig, J.J. and Liam ferociously make out with each other. Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, J.J. runs away from Liam in melodramatic fashion. Since they spent most of their time together kissing and undressing each other with their eyes, they forgot to exchange last names and contact info. Bereft at losing track of the one woman with whom he felt deeply connected, Liam vows to find J.J.
S.A. Clayton’s emphasis on physical desire and sex, while appreciated, does not work in favor of building a believable love story. The couple is undeniably in lust with each other, but their supposed authentic, loving connection is not clearly understood. While the frequent sex between J.J. and Liam can be categorized as ‘hot,’ the descriptions and dialogue are often repetitive. There are so many mentions of Liam’s hands “itching” to touch JJ that I wanted to give the man some hand cream.
J.J. and Liam are not entirely likable or relatable. J.J.’s feisty, stand-up attitude is admirable, but overall, I didn’t find her particularly interesting. At first, her identity appears wrapped up in her anger at her ex. Then, she is consumed by ‘crazy love’ for Liam.
A more compelling character than J.J., Liam is given a touching backstory that explores his strained relationship with his family. Even so, he is an off-putting romance hero, a needy alpha who delivers priceless gems such as, “I need to see the body that’s taken over my dreams.” (This line continues to chill me to the very core of my being. #thingsstalkerssay)
Clayton somewhat redeems herself by crafting a well-executed plot twist that creates delicious conflict. Had this jaw-dropping moment occurred earlier, it might have better served the story. Nonetheless, Clayton deserves credit for her effort. Wrapped in Red is a sex-filled holiday romp that falls short of joining the pantheon of great holiday romances.
Buy it at: Amazon
Visit our Amazon Storefront
Grade: D+
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 08/11/19
Publication Date: 11/2019
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Related Reviews
Wow, AAR moves fast. This book was published just two days ago (November 6th).
“Wrapped in Red is a sex-filled holiday romp that falls short of joining the pantheon of great holiday romances.” I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a romance, though. Based on the book description, it sounds like an erotica. True, it is under the category “holiday romance-” probably for marketing reasons- but I think there is a fine, iffy line between what constitutes a holiday romance versus a holiday erotica. Heck, even take out the qualifier “holiday.” And as an erotica, this sounds like it could be a lot of fun. A lot of people on Amazon seem to think so based on the glowing comments. But as a romance, yeah, it sounds like it’s lacking in character development and motivation. I guess it depends on what you’re in the mood for and what tropes you like or don’t like.
Another point about this novella: if it *is* an erotica, it better be “burning” rather than merely “hot.” *Wink*
“Nonetheless, Clayton deserves credit for her effort.” As a self-published erotica author myself, I quite agree!
I wonder about these heroines (it’s always heroines) who are invited to their ex’s wedding or some other such party and who plan to go despite stewing to the point where they’ll grab the nearest hot man and pass him off as a boyfriend. Why can’t they just decline the invitation and say they have a prior commitment?
If it’s so important to prove to the ex that you’ve moved on, maybe you haven’t.
Then again, a lot of readers like this trope, so it’s probably just me not getting it.
Whew, this sounds massively unsexy.
The cover makes it look as if she’s inspecting his beard for lice.
Cover snarking, are we? And for the record, I think you’re absolutely right. Your comment made me laugh out loud. But now I can’t unsee it, so thanks a lot.