Review: Turn It Up by Vivian Arend

Turn It Up
~Vivian Arend

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 674 KB
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Publish Date: February 8, 2011
Language: English
ASIN: B004G5Z762


From the author's website:
She wants it. He’s got it…and a whole lot more

Turner Twins, Book Two
Maxwell Turner considers his stubborn and resourceful attitude a plus. After all, it usually gets him what he wants—except for Natasha Bellingham. The long-time family friend may be ten years older than he, but so what? He’s plenty old enough to know they belong together. Now all he has to do is convince her.

Over the past few years Natasha’s love life has degenerated into a series of bad clichés. Her biological clock is ticking—loudly. As a proven architect with her own house-design company, she’s financially ready for a baby. Who says she needs a permanent man in her life for that? She just needs a “donation”.

When Max discovers Natasha’s future plans include artificial insemination, he’s outraged. She wants to get pregnant? No problem. He’s more than willing to volunteer—no turkey basters involved .

But there’s one non-negotiable clause: He wants forever. And he intends to do everything in his power—fair and unfair—to make it happen.

Warning: This title contains one younger man ready, aimed and hell bent on giving one woman everything she wants. Includes interludes against the wall, in a Jacuzzi, on a car hood and even—shockingly enough—on a bed or two. Oh, and about that porch swing? Yup…

You know, I'm not usually a fan of the "I want a baby" storyline, but Turn It Up was so much more than that. I really enjoyed it.

Natasha "Tasha" Bellingham is a 34-year-old architect who's decided she needs to have a baby before she's 35. Since her string of loser boyfriends hasn't been very promising, she's decided to go a more "clinical" route. As the story opens, she's hung over from her "last hurrah" before she settles down and begins a more healthy and pregnancy-centric lifestyle.

Maxwell Turner is the 24-year-old cousin of Natasha's best friend, Lila. He's had his sights set on Tasha since he graduated from college at age 17, but she's always rebuffed him. Last night, however, after he drove them home from their evening out, Tasha was so drunk she told him everything about Operation Baby. Max knows this is his chance to prove to her that he's the man for her.

Oh, these two were so perfect together! Max was so earnest and has loved Tasha for so long, and Tasha has been burned too many times to let her heart get broken again. Max's large and boisterous family contrasts with Tasha's estranged mother and absent father. Max does everything he can to show her that he can give her child, their child - if she agrees, so much love and devotion and a large, loving family.

When Max and Natasha finally got together, they were hot! Super sexy doesn't begin to cover it - these two were on fire in the bedroom! And I love that Max used that heat for all it was worth to wear down her self-imposed emotional walls.

There wasn't any sort of villain or "horrible event" in the story, only Tasha's self-doubts about getting involved with a younger man and thinking she can never love again. Her situation with her best friend Lila was unresolved, which I found frustrating, but I can also see where that could happen in real life. I really liked Max's big family, especially his twin sister Maxy, and hope we'll be reading her story soon.

All in all, Turn It Up was a super-sweet romance with lots of passion, a charming hero and a heroine who thinks she'll never find love.

My Rating:

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.