Naked

Many of my friends liked this one a lot, so my expectations were high. Sadly, this book didn’t work for me. At all.

This is a short book and that should’ve probably given me the first clue – things progressed way to fast for my taste. There was too much sex at the beginning without much emotional connection just to be followed by love declarations after a couple of days – definitely not my cup of tea. Sex early on is fine, but I absolutely can’t stands declarations of love after seeing each other maybe 4 times and the main characters claiming that this one is forever after a short amount of time. It’s so damn unrealistic in my eyes (sue me, I’m a pessimist) and didn’t work for me in this book at all.

What also bothered me show more a lot was that it was so utterly predictable that everyone probably could’ve written a rough outline of the story after reading the Prologue. If you already tell me at the beginning of your book how this will play out (and let’s be honest there was only one way this could play out in a typical romance novel) then why should I read the whole damn book?

A glimpse in the future is fine, but not one that will instantly let me know the whole plot and even worse, that plot I worked out is actually true. So a) give me a glimpse that will not tell me the plot or b) don’t give me any hints. But the way this one was written took every last bit of expense pout of the book.

Last but not least the sex… Oh boy where do I start? I like the occasional erotica but the sex in this book was just… I wish I could think of an appropriate word... Just give me a second… Ah, yes! The sex was extremely horrible. And if the first three meetings of the main characters consist of sexual action, then the sex better not be that bad. Sadly it was that bad. My to favorite worst lines are probably: “his pummeling cock" and "I sobbed at the image of him mounting me"

I’m not even sure where to start with all the things seriously screwed up about this. There’s no erotic image portrayed, although I suppose that might be an issue of personal taste. But really, pummeling, sobbing and mounting? I can’t get over it.

And I’m sorry to say, but this book held, without question, a few of the worst sex scenes I’ve EVER read. Sadly I already bought the second book, so I’ll mostly likely suffer through that one as well. show less

In this genre, it can be challenging to find a book that's not the literary equivalent of a porn movie (all sex, no plot but plenty of insipid dialogue & implausible situations). In the interest of brevity, I think there's a few plot devices we can generally assume : the guy will be alpha, sex will quickly follow their first meeting, there will be deep, dark secrets in both main character's pasts & our couple will face danger before achieving HEA.

With that out of the way, here's a few reasons why this book rises above the average (in my humble opinion).
Brynne, thank God, is not a weeping spineless "heroine" who should not be let out of the house unsupervised. She's smart, passionate about her studies & sassy. She has no problem letting show more the guy know when he's out of line. Yes, she's had a traumatic past but is taking steps to remedy that instead of wallowing. Also, when they have an argument, she doesn't becomes an unreasonable, melodramatic harpie unwilling to negotiate a compromise.

Ethan is intense, overprotective & attempts to be controlling. But he's also bluntly honest about it & his background in security & military experience make it understandable. He's also charming & funny instead of being a Heathcliff wanna-be. I really appreciate authors who include genuinely humorous dialogue between the moments of high drama. It adds to the story & likability of the characters.

The sex is hot. 'Nuf said.

Our main characters start out interesting & the author slowly reveals their backgrounds so we come to gradually understand & know them as they get to know each other. I've read the first instalments of some of the other trilogies out there & wouldn't pick up the sequel(s) if someone gave it to me for free. I liked these people & that's a must if the reader is going to care enough to shell out for the next book. For this one, I will. show less

Naked by Raine Miller
(Book #1: The Blackstone Affair Trilogy)
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5 stars

Whew . . . .what a way to start a trilogy!! Raine Miller’s Naked is the first book in The Blackstone Affair trilogy and is also one smoldering read that had me turning pages almost faster than I could read.

Brynne Bennett: American, grad student, part-time model, a woman with a sordid past and, the object of Ethan Blackstone’s attention. Brynne moved to London to separate herself from her painful past and build a life of her own outside of scandal and heartache. In the time since she left home, Brynne has become fiercely independent as well as confident and successful. Other than reminders of her past, very little shakes Brynne or her show more confidence.

Ethan Blackstone: British (yummy!), intimidating, committed, successful, protective and, a man who will not under any circumstances accept “No” as an answer. Especially if that answer is coming from Brynne Bennett. After seeing Brynne (and most of her nude body) at an gallery opening, Ethan decides she belongs to him and confidently explains the situation to the young woman as he drives her home from the opening. Though Brynne is somewhat taken aback by Ethan’s incredibly forward manner, she cannot deny her intense and instantaneous attraction to him and agrees to “date” Ethan Blackstone. Oh, my!!

In this first installment of the trilogy, I found Ethan to be overwhelming in the most delightful way and his confidence, protective nature, and sex appeal are off the charts. One can clearly see - even in the small amount of time they have known one another – that Brynne is beyond important to Ethan. He is fiercely protective of Brynne and understands her past is something that can come back to haunt and hurt her at any given moment. Just as Brynne begins to truly trust Ethan and open up to him about her background, a phone call comes through that shatters what the two lovers have begun to build.

The Bottom Line: WOW!! Ethan Blackstone is one smokin’ hot Brit and his story is fascinating to say the least. His intensity and connection to Brynne is so strong and so swift as to be almost unbelievable. BUT, Raine Miller has made me a believer by creating a rock-solid character who absolutely practices what he is preaching. Add to this the fantastically hot naughty bits and Ethan’s colossal screw-up at the end and I was left absolutely beside myself and completely impressed with the exit Brynne made!! On to book two . . . which I bought and began reading immediately after finishing book one :) show less

About:
When I saw the blurb for Naked: The Blackstone Affair Book 1, it immediately reminded me of the Fifty Shades of Grey series. As I read Naked, I definitely saw the similarities to Fifty Shades; rich, dominating man who is after a shy, submissive girl.

In this first book, Brynne Bennett is an American studying art in London who poses nude to help pay the bills. Brynne has a mysterious past and sees a therapist on a regular basis.

Successful, rich, London businessman Ethan Blackstone purchases one of her nude portraits one day and as soon as he sees Brynne, he has to have her. Literally. Ethan is an ex-military hottie who likes to dominate and runs his own elite security business. He's got his own secrets and dark past.

My thoughts:
I show more have to say, I found Naked to be highly readable and dare I say it, I think the writing here is better than Fifty Shades. This book is told from Brynne's POV.

Oh Ethan! Swoon worthy Ethan. For the most part I liked both Ethan and Brynne's characters. The sexual tension sizzled, sex scenes were hot, the character development was good and the storyline was interesting. There's a supporting cast of characters that add just enough to the plot. I actually read this book in one sitting.

Author Raine Miller does a great job with Ethan. I like my heroes to dominate, and he does it well. I also like that he's got a Shakespeare quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream tattooed on his back. "No more yielding but a dream."

I liked that Brynne is smart, independent and runs to clear her head. I also like the London backdrop.
"I forged ahead and crossed over onto the Thames path that followed the great river. My iPod helped too. Music had a way of resetting the brain. With Eminem and Rhianna battling out lying for the sake of love in my ears, I kept a steady pace and admired the architecture I passed on my route. The history in such and ancient city as London was vast, yet it contrasted with the bustling, modern world player in a perfect balance. Duality. I loved living here."
p. 12, digital edition quote may differ from final copy

I have two qualms though. First off, Ethan claims he never, ever allows females into his bedroom for sex. However, a few days after meeting Brynne, guess what? He allows her in his bed for hot, dirty sex. I felt that was rushed, I wish the author would have dragged it out just a bit. It would have been better if Ethan and Brynne would have waited a while longer before he ravaged her in his sacred bedroom. I was glad however, that Brynne was not a virgin. I'm tired of the virgin heroines in romance novels. Like I mentioned before, Naked: The Blackstone Affair Book 1 reminded me a bit of 50 Shades, but without the bondage and spanking. These two have some great vanilla sex, Ethan isn't into whips and chains, but he is possessive.

My second qualm is a biggie. Unprotected sex on the first date. Ethan wants to go well, raw. Brynne agrees, hey, she's on the pill, so why not? Ethan swears he's clean, he gets tested on the regular. Brynne claims she's clean too. Um, how about saying "No glove, no love Ethan!"
I could have overlooked the rushed sex, but I can't overlook the lack of common sense on part of both these characters.

Naked ends on a cliffhanger when Brynne and Ethan have a serious confrontation as a big secret comes to light.You can't finish this book without wanting to read the next in the series, at least I couldn't.

This is a juicy contemporary romance and despite the few misgivings I had with the characters actions, I enjoyed it overall.

Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, such as these books, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. show less

Naked is the first book in the Blackstone Affair series and follows the introduction of the main characters Brynne Bennett and Ethan Blackstone.

Ethan first meets Brynne at an art show for one of her closest friends, and photographer of the image that Ethan buys. However he wants more than just the image and is soon after Bynne to pose the real thing.

"That picture chnaged everything. I was not that same after I saw it, and I couldn't go back to the man I'd been before seeing it either. Not after we meet that night on the street. My whole world altered because of a photograph. A photograph of my beautiful American girl."

Yet Brynne is a little put off by his dominant nature and needs time to be wooed. From there everything is going along show more smoothly until the truth is revealed about how Ethan really came to meet Brynne that first night.

"...my heart hardened and bleeding black blood. Blackstone blood."

I can honestly say that I think I have found a new book boyfriend in Ethan and can't wait to read more. show less

I purchased a copy after hearing some of my friends rave about it. I didn't read a lot of the reviews, but nothing really stood out that warned me away from this either, except for the typical "if you loved 50SoG/Bared to You you will love this" phrase. Now that I have read it, I can see what all the fuss was about. Some reviewers claim this book has BDSM undertones or they just throw the word BDSM around whenever the hero is a dominating figure. In this book, Ethan Blackstone doesn't have "a Red Room of Pain", no dungeon, he doesn't frequent "clubs", he's never had a submissive, and he doesn't live the lifestyle. He's just very knowledgeable about how to draw certain responses from the women he's with. He likes his sex rough when he's show more worked up, but he's also capable of being very sweet, tender and in control. So don't worry that kinky sex, cuffs, blindfolds, Yes Sirs, ropes or anal plugs will make an appearance in any of the three books. They don't.

Ethan was flawed, but not to the point that he had difficulty functioning within a relationship. He was a former war hero turned security specialist to the rich and famous as well as foreign dignitaries and the Royal family. There were no throngs of past conquests *cough* exes parading through the book to heighten the angst and drama, and he never hurt Brynne physically. Brynne was not the lip-biting, childish heroine either. She had a job she took seriously as well as her studies, and she wasn't a naive dimwit. In short, I loved that the hero wasn't your typical rich, spoilt socialite, but he was someone who made it his job to keep others safe, and he had a family he got along with and adored. Together this couple had chemistry in spades, and if you love a lot of hot, sweaty sex, you will definitely get that in this book (and the rest of the trilogy too).

Another thing I enjoyed about this story was the suspense that was sort of the catalyst for it all. I was intrigued, and that was one of the other reasons I kept on reading. Told in Brynne's first person POV, you get a good feeling for her character very quickly. It took some getting used to, but it lent the story a haunting and vulnerable quality. The story moves pretty quickly, from their first meeting to their first (of many) sexual encounters before we find ourselves at the end. It was sexy as hell, but it also felt very rushed. As if the intention of all that sex and sweet words was to force us into feeling enough for the characters just in time for the shoe to drop. I hate to disappoint, but I was neither surprised nor did I feel inclined to side with Brynne.

Overall, I enjoyed this first installment. And since it is a series, there's no room to really judge the plot or the character arc/development. This will definitely be an ongoing process for the both of them, so I look forward to seeing how they will develop. Would I recommend this? Yes.

My final rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 show less

I'm so glad that a salesperson at Barnes and Noble recommended this series to me. The story is reminiscent of 50 Shades of Grey, but even though Ethan is dominant, he isn't quite as intensely sexual. There are heavy emotions between the two main characters, but the deep secrets they hide from each other threaten their relationship. My only complaint about the book is that in making the story a short, very quick read, the author glossed over some details that would have made this story more enjoyable. As a result, I feel a little cheated.