Spotlight Review:

THE DIRTY GIRLS BOOK CLUB – Savanna Fox
Berkley Heat
ISBN: 978-0-425-25315-1
September 2012
Contemporary Romance

Vancouver, Canada – Present Day

Dedicated to her job as a marketing account manager, Georgia Malone isn't looking for a relationship, especially after being widowed a few years ago. Her friends, Lily, Marielle, and Kim, along with Georgia, decide to form a book club and read an erotic book as their first selection. Georgia could not even begin to imagine that her life will soon imitate that of the heroine in the book. A huge marketing campaign featuring pro hockey start Woodrow “Woody” Hanrahan is on her mind as she rushes belatedly into her first meeting with him…only to find him naked except for wearing a black thong, which fits him all too well in her mind. Woody is trying out one of the products he's agreed to represent and thought Georgia was a George, so imagine his surprise to learn that the woman staring openmouthed at him will be working very closely with him in the coming weeks. Alone, the two hit it off instantly and are soon having sex in the office. Georgia is mortified at what she's done—getting sexually involved with a client—yet at the same time confused by her feelings for Woody. She thought she'd had the perfect marriage, and now Woody's walked into her life and given her a mind-blowing orgasm. Her first instinct is to run away as fast as she can. But she has a job to finish, even as her life begins to resemble the erotic book she and her friends are reading.

Woody's mind should be on the upcoming hockey playoff games, but instead he can't stop thinking about Georgia and how he reacted barely minutes after they met. He's had his share of hookups, but he's cautious after a few bad ones left his personal life exposed. He can't quite figure Georgia out—she's dressed in uptight clothing, yet he has just experienced his best sex with a woman who intrigues him. He wants her despite the possible distraction she could provide. But his hormones overrule any objections. Layer by layer, he begins to see the real Georgia, even as he keeps a part of himself locked away for fear of exposing his painful past. The sex is powerful and mind blowing, but will their relationship last past their working together?

THE DIRTY GIRLS BOOK CLUB is like reading two books in one. There is the relationship between Woody and Georgia, and then there is the one in The Sexual Education of Lady Emma Whitehead , the book the ladies are reading. Like Georgia, Emma had married only to be widowed. Neither planned to remarry but they are swept into passionate affairs with men who should be off-limits to them. Georgia slowly sees the comparison with Emma as each stage of her relationship with Woody progresses. Raised by a mother who drifts from one man to another, the last thing Georgia wants is to be dependent on a man for her happiness. Besides a sexual awakening, Georgia soon dresses attractively—for herself, or for Woody? She is like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon, and Woody is her inspiration.

After a childhood with an abusive father and a mother who didn't walk away from it, Woody prefers to keep his past hidden from the public eye. His life is hockey and winning the Stanley Cup. After being talked into signing as the spokesman for Vital Wear, a company that manufactures sports and leisure wear, he has his first meeting at Dynamic Marketing, the firm which will design the promotion campaign. Meeting Georgia and their instantaneous sexual reaction to her throws him for a loop, but underneath her prim attire lies a woman who intrigues him. But even as he decides to pursue her, she pushes him away, and Woody has to break down the barriers she's erected to keep men away. With women around him who'd love to be dating the pro hockey star, why is he even taking the extra effort to win Georgia's trust? Maybe because deep down he realizes that she is the one…

Savanna Fox has previously written as Susan Lyons and Susan Fox, and readers will enjoy her latest under a new name as THE DIRTY GIRLS BOOK CLUB proves once again why she's an author to keep an eye on. Filled with emotion and hot sensuality, THE DIRTY GIRLS BOOK CLUB has at its heart the four girlfriends who gather every week to discuss a book…and men. Woody's sexual relationship with Georgia is an integral part of this tale, but they also connect in ways that will have readers rooting for them to have their happily ever after. Pick up THE DIRTY GIRLS BOOK CLUB for a sizzling read that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Patti Fischer