Review: Turn it Up by Inez Kelley
Contemporary Romance
August 1, 2011
E-Book
Carina Press

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: “Did you just have an orgasm?”

Charlie’s pink tongue darted over her lips, whisking away the trace of white. A satisfied moan caressed the night. “Better…a s’morgasm.” She bit into the s’more and delight softened her face.

My favorite quote happens to be the very first lines of the book, and I knew we were off to a very good start.

Dr. Bastian Talbot and Charlie Pierce have been best friends for six years. Charlie was there for Bastian when he went through a divorce recently. Bastian is sterile, and that news caused too many problems and stress for his marriage to endure. And Bastian has always been there for Charlie through her numerous boyfriends. Although Bastian works at a hospital, he also finds time to cohost a late-night radio show with Charlie. Called, Let’s Talk about Sex with Dr. Hot and the Honeypot, it has become a very popular radio show. They have a very fun, sexy flirtatious banter on air. And although for Charlie that is where the flirtation stops, Bastian has fallen in love.

He is so in love, he can’t concentrate anymore when he is near her. Now that he is divorced and Charlie is single, while on a camping trip he breaks the news to her. He tells her he loves her and he wants to take their relationship past the friendship stage. Charlie doesn’t do forever. She loves sex, but not commitment. She in no way wants to compromise the extremely important friendship she has with Bastian. But now that his love for her is out in the open, it must be addressed. Charlie wants sex, but not a relationship. Bastian wants marriage, and refuses to have sex until she agrees. Let the games begin.

Earlier this year, I read Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelley and was floored by how dark and well written the book was. I was excited, but nervous to try something else by this author, worried I would compare to Sweet as Sin and it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. But this is a very different book. It is nowhere near as dark. Fun flirtatious banter rules this book, and I found myself completely engaged

This is a friends to lovers book, but by the end of chapter one, Bastian has declared his love. Which totally freaks Charlie out. Deep down, she loves him. But the bottom line is she is terrified to take this step towards romance, because what if it doesn’t work? Of course, she will never have a 100% solid answer to this, but this is what stops her. She loves him, finds him attractive, and wants to be with him. But with a mom who went from guy to guy, and pretty much every single one of her acquaintances having divorced, it makes her uncertain. When Bastian professes her love they start to have this passionate, wild moment where they release all of this sexual tension that has been built up. In Bastian’s eyes, he is receiving Charlie’s love. But in Charlie’s eyes – it is the end of their friendship, and I felt this to be such a poignant moment.

His shorts button snapped and the metal zipper zinged. Solid, hard flesh filled her palm and he froze, his agonized sigh of delight hot against her lips. His head fell back when her grip tightened. She curled her fingers around his shaft, and her lips twisted with battled tears. She swallowed her grief. The hollow below his Adam’s apple called her mouth and she licked out, gliding across his skin.

So easy, it was so easy. The death of something priceless should be harder to achieve.

We learn that although they have been best friends for six years, during which part of the time Bastian was married, they did share a kiss once, under the mistletoe – while Bastian was married. His wife served him divorce papers soon after (having nothing to do with the kiss, she never knew about it). At some points, I just think Charlie must have had some clue that Bastian was in love with her.  She pushes and backpedals so hard to move away from this romance, back to the land of friends. But she must have known this was coming. From the way she sits on his lap and snuggles (just as friends) to sharing a tent camping (just as friends) – I don’t think Bastian moving things forward would have been this much of a shock to her system. That’s not to say, she doesn’t have to accept it.

Both of these characters are very likable. They love to tease and flirt with each other, especially on air on their radio program. As  Dr. Hot and Honeypot, they can flirt to extremes, and hide behind their character masks. And Inez Kelley writes some really witty, sexy times in the radio studio.

Turn it Up is a very fun, sexy read. This has been two books in a row from Inez Kelley that I’ve really liked and it makes me very excited to get more from her in the future.

Rating: B+

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers – B+
Love to Read for Fun – C
Fiction Vixen – A-
Hanging with Bells – 4/5
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