Divine Desires by Kit Tunstall - 4
I started this story disliking our hero Mal, they get down and dirty in the club the first night they meet. While this makes those wanting hot sex very happy, it jangles with the story making suspension of belief difficult. If you stick with it however ignoring the first part of the story, there is an intriguing tale

Prequel to the Deal, one year before Cassidy's story. A fae love story, bad timing, heartstrings. Interesting, loving, hot, itsy bit kinky
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What Happens in Vegas is a collection of novellas from authors Jodi Lynn Copeland, Lauren Dane, Kit Tunstall, Anya Bast. All four stories take place at Las Vegas’s Liege Hotel and Casino and take on different aspects of Sin City.

Hot For You by Jodi Lynn Copeland
From the publisher: Cocktail waitress Carinna wants a man to tie her up, not tie her down. Little does she know that her most willing partner yet has something else planned for this fiery Latina bombshell.

I’m not crazy about this story. Hot for You is about Carinna and Jack. Two friends who have known each other for years, but have recently became sex buddies. The story itself is told by both Carinna and Jack’s perspective, so we’re constantly switching between the two and usually during the same scene. While the idea is a good one, it wasn’t executed very well. The scenes seem drawn out and it’s not that gripping. It’s like reading the same scene twice when you just want to get on with it. Plus, there’s really no plot. The ultimate goal is Jack wants to be Carinna’s one and only, but that’s it. There’s nothing exciting going on except for the idea that they are getting a lot of sex. Personally, the amount, and quality, of sex doesn’t make up for the lack of action. The story was okay, but I could have done without it.

Stripped by Lauren Dane
From the publisher: Dahlia is a burlesque dancer with a brain for business and a bod for sin. Her latest admirer may be a sweet-talking Casanova, but despite what he thinks she’s not giving anything away free.

This story was a lot better than the previous one. Unlike the first one, Stripped kept me glued to the pages. I had a hard time putting it down when I had to, but I looked forward to picking it back up again. We still have the whole “guy sees girls, guy wants girl, guy pursues girl” mentality going on, but this one is done a lot better. There’s more of a courtship going on with a lot of different locations to break up the story. It’s a short story, so while there is a little character development, we’re left to assume a little, but it’s still really good. I’ve been told to try a Lauren Dane novel before, but now I see why. This novella was really well written and it kept me interested in the characters.

Red-Handed by Kit Tunstall
From the publisher: Meanwhile, Amy has the perfect plan to rob the Liege Casino blind…until the intimidating owner catches her red-handed. Now she knows she’s going to pay… with both pleasure and pain.

I’m really not sure what I think of this story. It was a good novella, but I didn’t feel like it was anything special. Amy is caught cheating inside the Liege Casino and the owner kind of takes advantage of the situation in my opinion. Instead of turning her over to the cops, he offers her a deal to be his sex slave for 6 weeks in exchange for paying off the money her cousin stole. Not that bad of an idea, but I guess it just didn’t work for me. It honestly doesn’t sound all that original, especially for a story set in Las Vegas. I could be over thinking it too, because it is a romance from start to finish without really any plot. We’re not given any character development, but the story is told in such a short span of time, there doesn’t need to be any. Throughout the story, Amy discovers things about herself she didn’t know and that’s what we get to learn about her. The story was good, but it doesn’t leave me feeling anything special.

The Deal by Anya Bast
From the publisher: Professional shill Cassidy is ready to experience a breathless rendezvous with her “friend with benefits.” But when he proposes five delicious nights of sexy blackjack, the stakes have never been so high.

I liked The Deal, but I wouldn’t say it was one of my favorite Anya Bast stories. There was a lot of sex between the two main characters, and if you’re looking for that sort of thing, then it was a good story. However, it has definitely flushed out my need for any kind of romantic story at the moment. There was some good character development considering it was a novella and there was a plot, but it was obvious it wasn’t the main focus on the story.

Overall, What Happens in Vegas… is actually a pretty good novel, but I wouldn’t say it is light reading. Again, the other three authors were new to me, but I’m familiar with Anya Basts’ work. Of the other three authors, I’m definitely intrigued by Lauren Dane. Of the four stories, I think I enjoyed hers the most and I’m going to be adding a couple of her books to my TBR list. The other two authors, I haven’t made up my mind yet. I think I would need to read something else by them before I could make any judgments. However, if you’re looking for something to make you hot and bothered, then you should get this anthology.

http://www.literaryescapism.com/2008/06/11/232/ ( )