Lush by Lauren Dane (Delicious #3)
Contemporary Romance
April 2, 2013
Berkley

Reviewed by Helyce

Favorite quote: “I’d really like to get up in what you’ve got, Mary Whaley.”

Damien Hurley is a rock star in every sense of the word. He’s lived this life since he was just out of high school and he’s enjoyed all the perks that come with this lifestyle. He’s got a typical bad boy reputation and he makes no apologies for it. Then he meets Mary Whaley. She’s like no other woman he’s ever known and he can’t get enough of her.

Mary Whaley is a busy woman. She runs a successful catering and supper club business. She’s in a great place in her life and her focus is on her business, her family and her wonderful friends. When she meets Damien Hurley at the engagement party of her friend Gillian, she’s attracted to him right away. She’s not looking for Mr. Right, but Damien will do fine for Mr. Right Now.

When we met Damien at the end of the previous book, Tart, and there were hints of his attraction to Mary, I could not wait for this book. I was so excited that Mary would end up with her own sexy rock star hunk. We have watched Mary being the supportive best friend as Gillian, Juliette and Daisy each found their way to a happily ever after. She’s the glue of their group, and these women have a seriously strong bond of love and friendship.

While Mary is totally thrilled for her best friends, she really is not interested in a relationship of her own. Right now, her business is her priority and she is focused on possibly expanding and toying with the idea of a cook book. When she meets Damien, she’s definitely attracted to him and the vibe between them is strong, but she knows he’s not a man to stick around and since she’s not looking for that, she’s okay with a little fling.

“She liked him. And she liked what he said and how he said it. And she wanted to fuck him. Men got to do this stuff, why shouldn’t she?

She licked her lips as thought about it.

And then he bent a little and brushed his lips over hers in a surprisingly sweet kiss. A kiss that deepened, hinted at what else he could do with that mouth of his.

She was slightly tipsy. Very happy. In a great mood. A hot dude just laid a smooch on her and he wanted to get down. As it happened, she liked getting down. He wouldn’t want to marry her the next day so he wouldn’t be underfoot as she got her business off the ground. It would be totally about fun and pleasure….

“All right. Make it worth my while then.”

Mary is a strong self sufficient woman with strong family ties and is clearly a woman with morals and scruples. Yet I loved that the author let her be this free, make no excuses, woman who set her sights on a man and went after some hot sex just for the sake of sex. She goes in with eyes wide open, with full disclosure of Damien’s rock star ways and no expectations. She enjoys his attentions when he’s there, but isn’t pining for him when he’s not.

But it’s just the opposite for Damien. After meeting Mary and spending just a little time with her, his band goes on tour with Adrian Brown’s band. The groupies are out in full force, but he’s not interested. He keeps thinking of Mary and can’t wait to see her again. In fact, he goes out of his way to do so, showing up at Mary’s when she least expects it. She’s always happy to see him, but while Damien starts to feel the need for more, Mary is just fine with the way things are. This confuses Damien to no end.

I love how the author turned the tables here and made Damien the one that has to chase Mary and make her believe they had something special. Damien does his best to court Mary in the only way he knows how and it was so fun to watch. While Damien is falling hard, Mary steadfastly sticks to her “I’m just having fun” rule even after she begins to have feelings of her own.

I also loved that we got to see Damien and his brothers back on their family’s farm in their down time, as they relaxed in between tours. We get a little background on Damien’s brothers, but mostly we get to see the strong familial bonds of the brothers with their parents. Damien may be a rock star who took advantage of that status when he could, but seeing him with his family, the closeness there, totally makes his wanting to give that up and love just one woman completely believable.

While the road to Mary and Damien’s HEA had its share of ups and downs, the conflict that threatens to break them up was highly predictable and par for the course of a rock star. That said, the final scenes where beautifully done and we are treated to a fun proposal.

I love Ms. Dane’s contemporaries. The Brown Siblings series was good, but in my opinion, this spin-off was most excellent and I enjoyed every installment-though, I have to admit Lush was my favorite of the three. While this book completes the Delicious series, I will hope and pray (and beg) that Ms. Dane decides to write a series for Damien’s brothers because that is going to be good stuff.

Rating: A

Recent Reviews:
Fiction Vixen – B+
Happily Ever After-Reads – B-
Delighted Reader – A
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