Taking It Off by Claire Kent Review
3.5 Smooches
Synopsis
Can’t get enough Magic Mike? Let bestselling author Claire Kent introduce you to Matt Stokes, the sexy-as-sin male stripper and club owner who knows what it really means to bare everything.
Preschool teacher Elizabeth Marks isn’t exactly thrilled to be attending a college friend’s bachelorette party at a male strip joint. The sights—screaming women, half-naked hunks—are just as sleazy as she expected, with one exception: the man standing at the back, radiating sensual heat despite being fully clothed. When Elizabeth takes refuge outside, he chases her down and dares her to stay. It turns out that her mystery man is the owner—and, as tonight’s headliner, the one guy Elizabeth wouldn’t mind seeing naked.
Matt Stokes lives his life one day, one dance at a time. But as he challenges Elizabeth to get in touch with the passionate, impulsive woman behind her prim façade, she brings out another side of him as well. This girl isn’t just another pretty face—or paying customer—and Matt can’t help wanting more. Onstage, he’s used to exposing his body. Now Matt will have to expose his heart. Because when it comes to real love, that’s the one striptease that matters.
Review
The hot cover and Magic Mike feel of the blurb drew me in to this book and had me excited to start it. But once again, as I feel with many published books, I was left wanting more. I don’t know if it is a case of too many cooks in the kitchen but with published books I sometimes feel like the drama is just watered down (there are clearly exceptions to this and hence why I keep trying them.) Still the book was well edited and the writing smooth. It was in third person which is not my personal favorite but some people prefer it so it is worth mentioning.
“Because no matter how stupid and vulgar she’d found most of the evening’s performances, she didn’t feel the same about this one. About Matt. She found it sexy. She found him sexy.”
Taking It Off is the story of a rich girl, preschool teacher who goes to a male strip club for a bachelorette party and spends the entire time making it very clear that she finds nothing about the men dancing sexy or fun and cannot wait to get out of there. Then she makes eye contact with a sexy man across the room and instantly knows there is more to him. Enter Matt, former (sometimes still) dancer and owner of Bare Assets. After running into Elizabeth outside the bathroom he challenges her to give the club a fair shot and come back twice a week for a month. Never one to look weak she agrees and soon she is not only coming to the club she is coming (hehe) with Matt. The book involves the two of them having a lot of decently hot sex in the club and both thinking that it has an expiration date. Matt knows he is not good enough for a society girl and Elizabeth knows Matt is not the kind of man she always envisioned spending her life and starting a family with.
“A girl like that, you don’t just walk away from afterward. Not without damage to show for yourself.”
Taking It Off wasn’t a case of me not liking a book it simply was just a good, fast easy read that was low on the drama radar. If you are looking for a easy read with plenty of sex than Taking It Off might just be what you need.
~miranda
Buy It Now
