rosepetals1984's review
2.0
I'm torn on what to rate Leslie Kelly's "Blazing Midsummer Nights" - because I actually enjoyed parts of this novel more than I thought I would, but at the same time, it didn't really meet my expectations as far as the development of the collective novel was concerned. I wouldn't take the dreamy front cover as being the forefront of the novel, because the dream sequences take more of a backseat to only some transitional scenes within the work (for me that was fine, but others might think it has more bearing in the work).
Mimi is your typical woman born with a silver spoon in her mouth trying to establish herself on her own terms, but at the same time trying to appease her father and "find the right man" to be with. Her father's second in command, Dimitri, seems to fit every description of her "ideal" man, but she doesn't feel the same rush of chemistry that she feels with her new next door neighbor - the sexy firefighter Xander McKinley. The two have a rather awkward/sexy first meeting, and seem to hit it off in many of their impromptu encounters. Xander's the kind of guy that sweeps Mimi off her feet (literally considering he saves her from a few close calls). It would seem that fate wants them to be together - considering a few fortune cookie reads and the dreams that Mimi has from the herbal tea she's given.
Both Mimi and Xander have likable, decent chemistry, albeit the progression of their relationship was a bit too stereotypical for my liking in terms of the class and personality differential. There's really no competing love triangle in this - Dimitri's character really isn't developed that much to serve as a competent competing love interest. I kept thinking I wanted to see more out of it than what it shared and couldn't really connect with any of the characters other than the two main leads. I also wasn't enamored of the whole "I'm not really with you, so I can't say that I'm cheating" dimension of the story angle, nor of the proposed arranged relationship which becomes clear as to what direction it goes from point one. I did like Xander - he's pretty charming and straightforward about what he wants. Mimi's okay - I think she tends to be a bit of your typical airhead and I wanted/expected a little more from her character to round her out.
Overall, it was a quick read from the Harlequin Blaze line, and while it had some decent moments, I can't say that I was completely taken with it.
Overall score: 2/5
Mimi is your typical woman born with a silver spoon in her mouth trying to establish herself on her own terms, but at the same time trying to appease her father and "find the right man" to be with. Her father's second in command, Dimitri, seems to fit every description of her "ideal" man, but she doesn't feel the same rush of chemistry that she feels with her new next door neighbor - the sexy firefighter Xander McKinley. The two have a rather awkward/sexy first meeting, and seem to hit it off in many of their impromptu encounters. Xander's the kind of guy that sweeps Mimi off her feet (literally considering he saves her from a few close calls). It would seem that fate wants them to be together - considering a few fortune cookie reads and the dreams that Mimi has from the herbal tea she's given.
Both Mimi and Xander have likable, decent chemistry, albeit the progression of their relationship was a bit too stereotypical for my liking in terms of the class and personality differential. There's really no competing love triangle in this - Dimitri's character really isn't developed that much to serve as a competent competing love interest. I kept thinking I wanted to see more out of it than what it shared and couldn't really connect with any of the characters other than the two main leads. I also wasn't enamored of the whole "I'm not really with you, so I can't say that I'm cheating" dimension of the story angle, nor of the proposed arranged relationship which becomes clear as to what direction it goes from point one. I did like Xander - he's pretty charming and straightforward about what he wants. Mimi's okay - I think she tends to be a bit of your typical airhead and I wanted/expected a little more from her character to round her out.
Overall, it was a quick read from the Harlequin Blaze line, and while it had some decent moments, I can't say that I was completely taken with it.
Overall score: 2/5
cherrygeli's review
5.0
This my first Harlequin romance (which I recieved free in the mail from Harlequin.com) and i'm very surprised of how much I actually enjoyed it. I loved the characters and found it had great development. The sex scenes werent forced and out of place. Everything seemed to flow prefectly.
The story takes on a bit of a Midsummer's Night Dream story a little. Mimi, who works for her over baring sexist father, is dating Dimitri, also works for her father. She realizes she and Dimitri have no chemistry what so ever but continues going out with him if only to please her father. Xander, just moved into Mimi's apartment building, set out to start a new life away from the tragedy he's left behind. Neither of them condsidering love as part of their paths.
Filled with laughs and several excellent steamy scenes, I really enjoyed reading this book. The only thing I didnt like was Mimi's dreams. I suppose they were to help her know which guy to choose but she already knew Xander was the one she needed to be with. It wasnt exactly a huge decision she had to make. Her only real decision to make was either being herself or being what she thought her father wanted.
Although this is an erotic romance novel I have to say Mimi is a very good character. Not one of the greats but still pretty good. She's smart, beautiful and confident. There wasnt at any time in the story that she was conflicted with whether she was too fat/skinny. Which was a nice breath of fresh air. And she really didnt need a man to define her. Sure Xander helped her realize her truth path but she had already known that, he just helped bring it out into the open.
I can definitely say I'll be looking for more of Leslie Kelly to read.
The story takes on a bit of a Midsummer's Night Dream story a little. Mimi, who works for her over baring sexist father, is dating Dimitri, also works for her father. She realizes she and Dimitri have no chemistry what so ever but continues going out with him if only to please her father. Xander, just moved into Mimi's apartment building, set out to start a new life away from the tragedy he's left behind. Neither of them condsidering love as part of their paths.
Filled with laughs and several excellent steamy scenes, I really enjoyed reading this book. The only thing I didnt like was Mimi's dreams. I suppose they were to help her know which guy to choose but she already knew Xander was the one she needed to be with. It wasnt exactly a huge decision she had to make. Her only real decision to make was either being herself or being what she thought her father wanted.
Although this is an erotic romance novel I have to say Mimi is a very good character. Not one of the greats but still pretty good. She's smart, beautiful and confident. There wasnt at any time in the story that she was conflicted with whether she was too fat/skinny. Which was a nice breath of fresh air. And she really didnt need a man to define her. Sure Xander helped her realize her truth path but she had already known that, he just helped bring it out into the open.
I can definitely say I'll be looking for more of Leslie Kelly to read.
mslizalou's review
5.0
I’ve made no secret to the fact that I’m a huge fan of Leslie Kelly. In fact, I own most of her books in both print and digital format. So I was super excited to see Blazing Midsummer Nights available from NetGalley.
I loved Blazing Midsummer Nights! Mimi and Xander and both such great characters and I really loved them both from the beginning. In fact, I totally added Xander to my book boyfriend list pretty much from the moment he appeared on the page. The attraction between them is there from the moment they see each other. Of course, one of their first meetings does occur when Mimi is trying on different lingerie and Xander falls out of her closet. There were many laugh out loud moments in this book and I love the humor mixed in with sexiness. There were many super sexy scenes between Mimi and Xander and even a pretty scorching hot dream scene that had me fanning myself.
As with any romance, there has to are at least one or two obstacles thrown in to keep things interesting. Mimi’s father wants her to marry a man he approves of so they can run the family business together one day. The fact that Mimi and Dimitri aren’t really attracted to one another doesn’t seem to matter to her dad. Mimi actually is dating Dimitri when she meets Xander, but knows after kissing Xander for the first time that things won’t work with Dimitri. Mimi with Xander’s support becomes stronger than she ever thought she could be.
I also loved many of the secondary characters in this story. The owners of the house where Mimi and Xander rent apartments are so funny and such great friends to everyone they know. Mimi's assistant Lauren was also a fun character to meet and I look forward to learning more about her in The Guy Most Likely To…next month from Blaze.
Leslie Kelly gives her readers a fun and sexy read with Blazing Midsummer Nights. Since it is a Blaze release, it might be hard to find in bookstores right now. However it is available from your favorite online retailers such as Harlequin, Amazon, and B&N.
I loved Blazing Midsummer Nights! Mimi and Xander and both such great characters and I really loved them both from the beginning. In fact, I totally added Xander to my book boyfriend list pretty much from the moment he appeared on the page. The attraction between them is there from the moment they see each other. Of course, one of their first meetings does occur when Mimi is trying on different lingerie and Xander falls out of her closet. There were many laugh out loud moments in this book and I love the humor mixed in with sexiness. There were many super sexy scenes between Mimi and Xander and even a pretty scorching hot dream scene that had me fanning myself.
As with any romance, there has to are at least one or two obstacles thrown in to keep things interesting. Mimi’s father wants her to marry a man he approves of so they can run the family business together one day. The fact that Mimi and Dimitri aren’t really attracted to one another doesn’t seem to matter to her dad. Mimi actually is dating Dimitri when she meets Xander, but knows after kissing Xander for the first time that things won’t work with Dimitri. Mimi with Xander’s support becomes stronger than she ever thought she could be.
I also loved many of the secondary characters in this story. The owners of the house where Mimi and Xander rent apartments are so funny and such great friends to everyone they know. Mimi's assistant Lauren was also a fun character to meet and I look forward to learning more about her in The Guy Most Likely To…next month from Blaze.
Leslie Kelly gives her readers a fun and sexy read with Blazing Midsummer Nights. Since it is a Blaze release, it might be hard to find in bookstores right now. However it is available from your favorite online retailers such as Harlequin, Amazon, and B&N.
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