Format Read: e-book provided courtesy of the author
Release Date: July 24th 2012
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Series: The Bradfords Book 4
Formats Available: e-book
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Publisher

Book Blurb:

There’s having fun… And then there’s falling in love.

The Bradfords, Book 4

It was a chance meeting, a spontaneous, hot moment, a never-to-be-repeated encounter. So when the gorgeous redhead he knows only as Sugar walks into the bar and heads straight for him, Doug “Dooley” Miller knows he’s in trouble. But he’s sure not going to mind.

She needs a date to some swanky something-or-other. He’s a fish-sticks-and-denim guy, but for a woman who’s not afraid to get naughty in an elevator, he can stand a couple days of smoked salmon and Armani.

Morgan James admits she doesn’t really know Doug, but she needs him to keep her mind—and hands—off her ex. A man who, despite the fact he stole her ideas, she’s afraid could charm her into repeating her mistakes. Only Doug can make her forget the weasel exists. Besides, it’s just this one time.

What started as not even a one-night stand has Dooley feeling things that he’s never felt before. And that’s outside of the bedroom. Don’t even get him started on what’s happening between the sheets. Why does he have a feeling that, as far as flings go, they’re doing something wrong? Then again, if they’re falling in love, they might just be getting that right.

Product Warnings
Contains a woman who knows what she wants, a man who knows what he doesn’t want, and a proposition that shows them both that they’ve never really wanted anything like this before.

Our Thoughts:
Anna: I have to admit that I usually start series of books from book 1 rather than book 4, but Just for Fun is an exception for me. What with that interesting and cute premise and Stella absolutely adoring this author, I couldn’t possibly resist the opportunity to read this one 🙂

Jackie: I agree. Despite assurances that books can be read stand alone, I’m always leery that some crucial element might be missing. But I was happy to give it a chance too.

Anna: I was glad for giving it a chance too, if for no other reason than meeting Dooley! He was a sweetheart! I loved pretty much everything about him. Even the name Dooley 😛 I mean I much preferred Doug, but Dooley suited him just perfect. His affection for his father, the way he cared about him and made him the center of his life, just made me love him even more. Honestly, I can’t say a bad word about him, even if I tried.

Jackie: To me, Dooley reminded me of the liqueur of the same name; it made me thirsty 🙂 But, you’re right, Anna, the character was a great guy. Any woman would be proud to bring a man like that home, despite his collection of questionable t-shirts. He was so family oriented that it just made your heart swell reading about all the great things he did. The author really tried to make him an all around keeper, even when he didn’t think he was one himself.

Anna: So true Jackie. Morgan on the other hand I’m afraid is the reason I just liked this book and wasn’t all thrilled about it. From the first moment, I couldn’t really like her, care for her or understand her actions. She didn’t make a good first impression on me and although by the end she was redeemed more or less, that first impression kind of stuck with me. She came off as a bit slutty and needy and with a train of thought I couldn’t possibly understand. I found a bit strange the whole “I need you as a sex distraction to not sleep with another man and lose my job” logic. What woman who respects herself can’t stay away from a man just because he gives her a good orgasm? It’s not that Morgan was a bad written character or not well developed, on the contrary. I just couldn’t agree with her in more than one things.

Jackie: What I found curious about Morgan was that she’d had a background check done on Doug right at the beginning but seemed to be missing a few key elements (which were easily discovered by her boss) in his life that might have made some of her assumptions moot. For an intelligent business woman, she seemed to drop the ball a bit, I think.

Anna: Now that you mention it Jackie you’re so right. In many cases Morgan was full of contradictions. I mean she was smart and independent but couldn’t keep secrets to herself just because of a good orgasm… Like I said, Morgan was my main source of problems in Just for Fun.

Jackie: I did like her character growth by the end. She made incredibly dumb offers to Doug, more than once, but she learned a little something each time. She redeemed herself with efforts in making tuna casserole (which I ended up Googling a recipe for, btw), with Doug’s dad, and more, that I ended up liking her much better. Morgan tried too hard where money was concerned but I think it all worked out well, regardless.

Anna: It did work out and by the end she was redeemed more or less. And what helped the whole story in overall for me was the fact that the secondary characters were also well-developed, even if they didn’t appear all that much. Morgan’s boss and Doug’s father were my favorite by far. And all the other characters who were previously featured in the series and made their appearance were so well presented that all I want is to read their books and learn more about them!

Jackie: Yes! Though it was overwhelming, the number of couples from previous stories and trying to remember all of their backgrounds. And Doug’s dad, though not in the story very much, left quite an impact in the moments he did appear. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think there’s one more story (at least) left with this group of people: Kevin’s. He definitely deserves a girl of his own 😉

Anna: Yeah, there’s Kevin’s story as well and it’s one I’m dying to read! What are your thoughts Jackie on the plot? For me it was rather typical for a contemporary romance, nothing extraordinary here. The easy flowing and fun writing style is what I will remember mostly about Just for Fun rather than a unique story.

Jackie: I must admit, I’m becoming a bit disillusioned with my recent romance reads because they do seem to be following a certain formulae. What Just for Fun offered that was at least a little different was that it all hinged on Morgan’s self-admitted weakness: orgasms. For this reason, I found it slightly refreshing, that Morgan was honest about it. It all might have been a bit of a stretch that she would give away trade secrets in the afterglow, but it maintained the light feeling in the read.

Anna: Well, that part wasn’t certainly my favorite of the story, but when you put it that way it was unique. My favorite part, was the undeniable chemistry between Morgan and Doug, and Erin Nicholas’ ability to pull off sexy scenes. Even if there weren’t sparks, I wanted them to have their happily ever after and for Doug to get everything he wanted.

Jackie: I think too, the ‘I like her/I don’t like her’ internal arguments (the “her” was easily interchangeable with “him” too) made it hard to really feel the connection a lot of the time. Add in the pure business arrangement right from the get-go and it was iffy that it was even worth their efforts. It was maybe more a subtle build up from sexual relationship to…more… because that first weekend was for an alternate purpose. That being said, you knew exactly where things were headed once each of them got their heads in the right place.

Anna: Yeah, everything was a bit predictable down to the very end.

Jackie: Also, I’m not a big fan of name dropping in books, like band names, song titles, products,etc. It can date the work, unless the characters are listening to Mozart etc. But I give Erin kudos for discussing the web series The Guild in Just for Fun. It’s a show that I watched like crazy when I first heard about it…and fully intend to do so again 🙂 And, I will admit, the frequent comparisons to Pretty Woman began to grate on me. The initial one made for a cute reference and maybe the last of them served a purpose, but all the others I could have done without. I also found the change in POV a little uncertain at times. A dialogue would occur but it wasn’t until a few lines in that I knew whose point we were now reading.

Anna: The Pretty Woman references were a source of problems for me too. Yeah, I saw the movie sometime when I was about 10, so I don’t remember much about it and trying to follow the story with Pretty Woman references was a bit tiring. And I agree with you about the change in POV. I found myself understanding the narrator after a few lines more than once. And the structure of the arc wasn’t helping matters either, but I’m guessing the final copy would be much better.

Jackie’s verdict: Just for Fun is a light read with some humor, some frustratingly sweet characters, and a whole lotta heart. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to run out and find a band of friends like Dooley has and live happily ever after, with the hot guy and all that he brings with him.

I give Just for Fun 3 1/2 stars!

Anna’s verdict: Just for Fun is the kind of story you should pick for a light summer reading. It was fast paced, humorous and super sexy. I had some problems with it, but in the end of day, whichever my problems they didn’t manage to spoil the fun of reading it.

I give Just for Fun 3 ½  stars!

About Anna

Anna is a psychologist from Greece.You can almost always find her with a book stuck under her nose,so it's no wonder that all her friends make a joke of her.Apart from reading she dreams of the day she'll be able to travel around the world!Anna also blogs at Books to Brighten your Mood.

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