Review – Vanilla on Top (Walk on the Wild Side #1) by C.J. Ellisson

This book took me by complete surprise and while I loved the utter sexiness of this story, it also made me think and that’s what makes Vanilla on Top by C.J. Ellisson the complete package. ~ Slick, Guilty Pleasures

Description:
Discover your inner bad girl, and set her free…

Heather Pierce is done being a wallflower, both personally and professionally. Desperate to live a different life for one night, she attends a speed dating event. Maybe here, anonymous unless she chooses otherwise, she can become someone new. When a man way out of her league sits across from her, Heather gathers her courage and takes charge of what she wants, secretly fearing he won’t desire the real person she’s desperate to hide.

Top acquisitions officer and international playboy Tony Carmine is about to close the biggest deal of his career. But then he meets Heather at a speed dating event…and discovers losing control may be exactly what he needs. Her blossoming sensuality occupies his every thought, consuming him with the need to possess the most intriguing lover he’s ever encountered—until he walks into the boardroom and sees Heather on the other side of the negotiating table.

Damn I love when I find a book by a new to me author and I go in with no expectations and I wind up wowed and with another author to add to my ever growing must read list. This book took me by complete surprise and while I loved the utter sexiness of this story, it also made me think and that’s what makes Vanilla on Top by C.J. Ellisson the complete package.

Forced by her good friend to attend yet another speed dating night, Heather doesn’t hold out much hope of making a match. She knows she’s not the knockout her friend is and her self esteem has been trampled by her two last relationships but when she spots a man that gets her motor running she makes a decision that changes her entire life.

Tony hates being dragged into things by his friend but after some stressful negotiations he agrees to attend a speed dating event. After being interrupted by his cell phone the woman across from him issues him an order to turn it off. First he’s surprise she has talked to him like that and then he realizes he likes it. He never in his wildest dreams expected to find out what a thrill it is to give up control.

I was just wowed by this book from the first chapter. I truly wanted to stand up and applaud Heather for stepping outside her comfort zone and trying something new and I love the fact that Tony, this complete macho man isn’t afraid to explore new territory. There is nothing sexier than a man willing to put himself out there and see what happens. I swear the patio scene at the speed dating event is one I won’t soon forget, it is so scorching hot!

I loved watching Heather’s self esteem and sensuality soar; it is truly a thing of beauty. I also love that because of this she began to demand respect from her friends, her co-workers, and people she meets on the street. It did bother me (just a tad) that she felt she had to reinvent herself to attract a man like Tony, BUT I love the way the author blended the two sides of Heather as she and Tony spend more time together. So, while she may have snagged him with her sexy in control self she kept him by showing her whole self.

It was fun to watch Tony be so enthralled by Heather. I honestly think it was good for him because it made him think about the way he’s treated people he was involved with in the past. His involvement with Heather no doubt made him a better man. The fact that he loved watching her take control but could see that this was new to her made me fall in love with him. He understood how important it was for Heather to feel sexy and in control and because it was important to her it was important to him.

This is an erotic novel and the sex scenes are well written, tasteful, and sinfully delicious. I love the variety of their encounters and the fact that they both explore some very new and different territory. These scenes are not just for entertainment; they were there to move the story forward and played a big part in helping both Heather and Tony understand each other’s needs and boundaries.

While this is a story of sexual awakenings there is a major plot as well and they find themselves on the opposite side of the bargaining table. But even that leads one to realize dreams and the other to realize it’s time for a change. There is some angst involved but it isn’t over done and the outcome is satisfying.

This is one of those stories that I will read again often, it’s well written and it goes beyond the sex. It’s not often in a book like this that you see the sexual awakening of two people, but in Vanilla on Top you get that and much more. You get two people discovering their true selves, their desires, each other, and fulfilling their dreams.

4.5 Stars