Cake by Lauren Dane
Contemporary Romance
Novella
Released: September 17, 2013
Harlequin

Reviewed by Helyce

Wren Davis, art student and part time bike messenger, has been delivering papers to renowned Seattle artist Gregori Ivanov for a while now and over time they’ve become friends. An artist herself, Wren enjoys watching Gregori work as his pieces come to life. It doesn’t hurt that he’s extremely attractive and often works shirtless, his tattooed and pierced body a whole different kind of art she can appreciate. There is a fair amount of flirting, and cake eating, but Gregori seems to hold back and never crosses the line.

Gregori has been burned in the past and has decided that relationships are not for him. He’s tired of people who want to be with “Gregori the Artist” and it’s made him very distrustful. But Wren doesn’t fall into this category at all and over the course of time their friendship changes until the moment when he cannot stop himself from kissing her.

But before things get too serious however, Gregori starts pulling away. Wren is having none of it, though, and will do what she needs to do to prove to Gregori that she’s worth it.

I’m a fan of Lauren Dane, so I jumped on the chance to read this novella. I also adore the cover and found it even more appropriate after reading the story of two artists who fall in love. The tagline of “Cosmo Red-Hot Read” threw me for a loop because I expected erotica for some reason and it’s not; this is straight up contemporary romance.

What I enjoyed most about this story was the character of Wren Davis. Ms. Dane gives us a strong young woman who is very sure of herself and not afraid to go after want she wants. Her life is well balanced between school, work and her own art and when she sets her sights on Gregori-determined to move out of the friend zone-she goes for it! Her “go after what she wants” attitude was a very attractive character trait. And when she succeeds and their relationships changes, I loved how she still had her own life and Gregori didn’t become the center of her universe. He enhanced her life, but didn’t alter how she lived it.

I also really liked that our main characters were artists. Though their art mediums are different, it seemed to give them a connection on a different level; like they had some sort of secret language between them and this comes through strongly in the writing.

The conflict that is introduced between our H/H is a bit predictable. Gregori has an ex-wife, who he really loved, but she hurt him and that is one of the reasons why he avoids relationships as a rule. So, when he starts to worry that Wren is getting too close, he starts to back away. But Wren is having none of that. Her strength shines as she decides to show Gregori that they are meant to be.

I’m not often a fan of the novella because I always wish they were longer. In this, Ms. Dane succeeds in giving us a well rounded story where we actually get to know the characters a bit before they jump into bed. We are aware of their existing friendship and the move into a physical relationship has a more natural feel to it, such that I’m more able to accept their HEA; something that doesn’t always work for me in a short story. Secondary characters fit in perfectly and provide a bit of humor within, while also giving us a bit of additional “girl-power” throughout the story.

Rating: B

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