Abbreviations #48 | Sweet Filthy Boy, Dirty Rowdy Thing + Dark Wild Night

Like my previous set of mini-reviews, this set of three has to come with its very own introduction. The story begins with how I read and adored Roomies by Christina Lauren a couple of months ago. I had picked it up on the recommendation of some of my favorite bookish folks - DJ DeSmyter,  Kristin of Super Space Chick and Rachel from Hello, Chelly. I enjoyed it so much that I made a mental note to check out their other work... and I ended up binge reading the first three books in one of their series after Rachel told me she loved the first one during our Iceland trip. I can't say I regret my life choices, mind you, because this series now has its own special place in my heart. Okay, enough of me rambling - time to get to the reviews!

While Sweet Filthy Boy is so compulsively readable, it's actually the one I liked the least in this series (and that's not saying much since it garnered a 3.5 stars overall). It kicks off with a weekend trip to Las Vegas where Mia, along with her two best friends Harlow and Lola, go to celebrate their college graduation. During one wild night, all three girls find themselves married to a set of three friends: Ansel, a French lawyer, Oliver, an Australian who has plans to open up a comic book store and Finn, a Canadian whose family has a fishing business. While the other four quickly agree to annul the marriages, Mia is not so sure she wants to do that and neither is Ansel. Mia ends up deciding to accept Ansel's offer to spend the summer in Paris, and they both try to sort out their lives and their relationship before their time together ends. Honestly, this book reads like a romantic comedy, and I adored it for that! The banter. The hilarious situations. The sensuality. The personal conflicts. It all came together really well to make this one hard to put down once I'd started. But that wouldn't have mattered had I not enjoyed the characters (secondary and main) so much! Mia was instantly someone I found relatable because we have very similar attitudes and struggles; Ansel was a sweetheart who also happened to ooze sex appeal. Though there is a plot point that I didn't especially love, I still thought this was a good read and a great way to start the series.

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren | Series: Wild Seasons #1 | Publisher: Gallery Books | Publication Date: May 13, 2014 | Source: Purchased the Kindle book

Dirty Rowdy Thing was such a pleasant surprise! I had already known I was going to enjoy it, but I hadn't predicted that it would tie for my favorite of the series. It picks up a little bit after its predecessor, and centers around two of the other characters - Harlow, who is fiercely independent and the kind of gal who likes to fix things and meddle and 'get it done', and Finn, who is much the same way. Their similarities result in their occasionally being abrasive to one another, but it also sparks some very strong sexual and romantic tension between the pair. As they each face different complicated personal scenarios, they soon discover that they might actually be more right for each other than they initially thought... If my summary sounds wistful and romantic, well, it's because that's the way this story made me feel. It has the same humor and heart, the sensuality and the swoons, the complex characters and relationships as the first one does, which earns plus points from me for authorial consistency. But I actually fell in love with both Harlow and Finn, both characters I had enjoyed but didn't think I'd actually come to care for this much. I could relate to both of their need to fix their own problems and those of folks they cared for. I also understood both of their struggles to come from a place of vulnerability to meet in the middle. They made me laugh with their banter and flirting; they made me swoon with their actual affections; they made me cry over the emotions their situations (personal and romantic) incited. It was such a strong follow-up, and I clearly loved it a lot (just in case it wasn't obvious).

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren | Series: Wild Seasons #2 | Publisher: Gallery Books | Publication Date: November 4, 2014 | Source: Purchased the Kindle book

I already mentioned that two of these books tied for my favorite of the series, so clearly Dark Wild Night is the other half of that pair. It picks up, again, a little after the second novel, and is all about the two characters who are pretending to be oblivious to the fact that they've always found each other attractive and want to move past just being friends - Lola, who is now a graphic novel creator who has just gotten her big break, and Oliver, who now owns a successful comic bookstore. The pair have developed a really strong friendship but it's clearly to everyone around them that the potential for more is there. There's only one question: will either of them finally be brave enough to make the first move? Again, if this summary sounds wistful and romantic, it's because this book made me feel exactly the same way the other one did. The same elements I mentioned - humor, heart, sensuality, swoons, character conflicts and relationships - are all still present here. But, predictably, I loved Oliver (and have loved him since the first story, mind you) and I ended up totally loving Lola too. Their relationship - both their enviable friendship and the developing romance - was wonderful to read about. I particularly liked the conflict that made their relationship complicated (it's something I've experienced for myself, and I haven't read many books with similar situations), and that hooked me on this story even more than I already was. Again, I fell in love with this story and this relationship, and I enjoyed all the characters tremendously. It was another strong addition to the series, and I also loved it a lot (which I'm sure is obvious).

Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren | Series: Wild Seasons #3 | Publisher: Gallery Books | Publication Date: September 15, 2015 | Source: Purchased the Kindle book