Call on Me by Roni Loren (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Nice Girls Don't Ride, The Ones Who Got Away
Published by Penguin on July 7th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
The new Loving on the Edge novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Nothing Between Us and Need You Tonight… Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll.Pike isn’t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley’s sexy night job. She’s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won’t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real.But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley’s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all.
Of all the books in this series, this might actually be my favorite so far.
Oakley Easton has had to struggle and make concessions to give her daughter the life she needs. That includes her secretive second job… a job that doesn’t quite fit with her daytime persona of single mom and school secretary, but she’s determined to do whatever she needs to do in order to make a life for her and Reagan.
Pike Ryland has lived just the kind of life you might think the drummer of a touring rock group might lead. But he’s finding that he’s getting tired of the carefree life of random hookups, unending tours and no one to go home to but his dog. He’s just not sure how to make a change, especially with some new interest in their band for a big tour. Jumping in to help with a school charity project isn’t something he would have picked to do himself, but when his friend asked him to do it, he couldn’t say no.
I always find myself relating on some levels with stories of single motherhood. I’ve been living that life, I know the struggle. So I have higher expectations with how it’s portrayed and the way an author writes it. Loren does an amazing job here, especially because she’s also got the added layer of a including a child with special needs. How much it can take out of you not only emotionally, but physically. This person has to be the number one priority in your life and everything, even a relationship with a sexy drummer, has to take the backseat. I love how everyone always says you have to take time for yourself but that’s easier said than done and that’s the situation that Oakley finds herself in. She’s intrigued by Pike and definitely finds him sexy and of course there’s that attraction they have between them… but what happens if she gives in?
Pike doesn’t do relationships, and he certainly doesn’t do relationships with women who have kids. Despite the attraction he has no idea how to have a relationship and Oakley is not a one night and forget her kind of woman. Especially since they need to be able to work together. But there is no denying the chemistry between them and then… then he finds out what she does as a part-time job and everything spins on its axis.
If you’re a fan of dirty talkers… then you most definitely are going to want to bump this one up your to read list, because these two are really, really good at it. I expect no less what with Oakley’s job, and Pike’s reputation. But what starts as just fulfilling some needs and scratching that itch, turns into something much more when it transitions from connecting via phone to connecting in the flesh.
While this series started out much more rooted in the BDSM world, I like the transition I’ve seen in some of these later books. The Ranch is still some part of the story and the BDSM lifestyle is still a presence, but it’s not as big a part of it. Pike and Oakley both have their kinks for sure, and they explore them, but they do it in their world, not The Ranch world. Plus it totally works, because Pike isn’t sure where he fits in exactly in that community, so it was nice to see them explore exactly how they fit together and what works for them.
I really love it when an author does something you don’t expect, and Loren definitely did that here. I wasn’t expecting Pike to be all-in. She kind of turns the tables here, and it fits for the story, because of Oakley’s history and her need to make her daughter her number one priority why she wouldn’t want to just jump into this life… especially because of what’s on the horizon for him.
I know I mentioned the dirty talking up there, but holy hot sexy stuff here. I have to admit that Roni Loren is one of my favorite Erotica writers at this point because she knows what’s hot, and she writes it so well!
I’m not going to give anything away, but someone enters the picture who could potentially ruin a lot of what both Pike and Oakley have worked for in their lives, and while I was waiting for this to happen, I was a little surprised at how it happened. Definitely a twist I wasn’t expecting.
There was only a few things that didn’t work for me…. The repeated use of the word “mama” as a nickname… It totally made me cringe, so I pretended it didn’t work. Also, this mystery person who shows up, it kind of felt like it resolved itself a bit too easy. I think I was expecting a bit more on that front than what happens.
Overall, a wonderful addition to the Loving on The Edge series, and like I said, probably my favorite so far! If you’re looking for a well written, sexy as hell series to dive into, I can’t recommend this one any more.
Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Recent Comments