Texas Tangle by Leah Braemel
June 28, 2010
Erotic Contemporary Romance
E-Book
Carina Press

Why I read: I wanted to try a book by the new publisher, Carina Press, and this just caught my eye. (Ok, so it was the TWO dudes and just one girl on the cover…who could resist?)

Favorite Quote: “What sane woman would object to having two hot guys buck-ass nekkid on each side of her?”

Dillon Barnett comes from a very close knit Texan family. Even his foster-brother Brett has always felt at home. Rescued from an extremely abusive father as a child, Brett has grown up as a close brother to Dillon. They have definitely had their bumps along the way though. In high school, they both lusted after the same girl, Nikki Kimball, and although Brett shared a night of kissing with her, as adults, Dillon is the one to make a move towards romance.

Nikki suffered years of a verbally abusive marriage, and still suffers from verbally abusive parents. Now divorced, she took Phil, her brother in, in hopes that he can move past his criminal youth and make a life for himself. Nikki’s truck breaks down and Dillon just happens upon her. Her night is about to go from possibly a little action with Dillon to catastrophe.  Nikki comes home to find herself robbed of all possessions, and Phil no where to be found. He also takes off with her money, leaving Nikki with nothing. Dillon offers her a place to stay at his house, and they both want to explore the physical side of their lust.

It doesn’t get past Brett that his foster-brother Dillon and best friend Nikki definitely have something going on, and Brett feels left out. Brett feels like he owes Dillon his life for practically saving him from his abusive father, so he would never do anything to break apart the special thing happening between them. But he can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if he was the one who had come across Nikki in her broken down truck. Soon, though, he may get a taste of what it is to love this woman, even if he has to share.

I have a little rule when it comes to a ménage – brothers should not see each other with hard-ons.  Texas Tangle features two foster brothers, not related by blood in any way, so this passes the test for me. I also say you can’t just throw three people together and have some nakey time and expect the reader to fall for it. Leah Braemel really works in the back story, giving us Dillon and Brett, who are very close, yet have young adult drama that have driven them so far apart in the past. Nikki knows them both growing up, and now that her drama has ended with her ex-husband, she is at the perfect spot in her life for something new.

At the end, I believed in this trio. I didn’t love that many accepted a threesome so easily. His mother and others were rooting for the three of them to get together. It all seemed a bit too easy on the family end. However, Nikki, along with Dillon and Brett don’t take the choice easily. They really spend so much of the book analyzing and really making sure this is the right choice for all of them and consequently, their relationship comes across very mature. Although I think you do have to give a bit over to the fantasy side. I mean – two really hot dudes that worship just this one girl? But hey, isn’t that why we read these books?

Best of all, their sex scenes are smokin’. Brett doesn’t make an appearance in the bedroom until after the halfway mark, and by the time he shows up, I was READY. Brett is a quiet man, but such a dirty, dirty boy. Leah Braemel gives us plenty of hot scenes and I really enjoyed them.

Texas Tangle is an erotic ménage that worked for me. I will definitely be checking out more from Leah Braemel.

Rating: 4/5

Recent Reviews:
Ramblings of a Book Bitch – 4/5
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