Looking for Trouble
Written by Victoria Dahl
Narrated by Celeste Ciulla
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Victoria Dahl
Victoria Dahl lives with her family in a small town high in the mountains. Her first novel debuted in 2007, and she’s gone on to write seventeen books and novellas in historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance. Victoria's contemporary romance, Talk Me Down, was nominated for both a RWA Rita Award and the National Readers' Choice Award. Since then, her books have been nominated for two more Rita Awards, and she hit the USA Today Bestseller list with the anthology Midnight Kiss.
Related to Looking for Trouble
Titles in the series (3)
Looking for Trouble Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flirting with Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taking the Heat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Looking for Trouble
51 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 stars
This is a sneaky little book; it lures you in with hot sexy chemistry and scenes between the leads and then half way through, sucker punches you with emotional upheaval brought on by unanswerable family sacrifice and dynamic questions.
Sophie has lived in the smaller town of Jackson her whole life, despite scrapbooks filled with pictures from cut up postcards of traveling destinations. Her mother left years ago abandoning a young Sophie, her stepfather, younger brother, and creating a town scandal due to the issue of her companion being a male and also married. The scandal had mostly died down as the years went on but with the new discovery of Sophie's mother and Wyatt Bishop's (the married man) bodies in a rusted vehicle lodged in a canyon not far out of town, the gossip starts again. The news of this also brings back Alex Bishop, son of Wyatt and advocate of runaway from your problems. While Sophie grasped on stronger to her stepfather, thinking if he needed her he would always love her, Alex pushed away his brother and mother as his mother grew increasingly more erratic in behavior. When Sophie and Alex meet, their chemistry is off the charts but when they have to start dealing with the fallout of their past and present actions, you really start to get to the heart of them.
This is a story of no easy answers. Should Alex have stayed and helped his brother deal with his unstable mother? Alex holds anger and resentment in his heart, thinking his mother was the adult and should have taken care of the children instead of the other way around. Was he wrong, was he selfish for leaving to go and lead his own life? Sophie holds fear and shame in heart, thinking her stepfather wouldn't want or love her if she didn't take care of him or her brother and that she has to hide her sexual nature or the town will think her a slut and homewrecker like her mother. Was Sophie wrong for overly taking care of her family; is it wrong that she likes sex rough? There are no easy answers to these questions and I love that this book doesn't try to answer or justify anyone's behavior but simply show these characters dealing with the aftermath of their decisions and actions.
Victoria Dahl's writing creates characters and situations with such a real feel, you will suddenly find yourself with tears in your eyes or a bursting heart. There were no lulls and even though this isn't an action book, the characters with their interactions kept the story moving along. I loved the prequel to this, Fanning the Flames, and discussed how I thought the main female character's life and emotions would hit home for a lot of women, this book with it's what are you willing or should you give up for your family question will also, I think, affect a lot of people. This book is funny, it's sexy, deep, emotional, very real, and most importantly it delivers. I can't wait to see what Dahl has in store for my emotions in the next book in the series. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good book. Steamy, but also deeply emotional. Sophie is the town librarian, with a prim and proper look, who has never stepped out of line. She behaves this way because she's trying to live down her mother's reputation. Twenty-five years earlier, her mom had run off with a married man, leaving her husband and two children behind. But things aren't always what they seem. The bodies of her mom and the man were discovered recently (Too Hot toHandle), showing that they hadn't really run off together. And though Sophie may appear prim and proper on the outside, but underneath is a passionate woman who wants to come out and play.
Alex is the youngest son of the man who disappeared with Sophie's mom. He had a rough childhood with a mom who never believed that her husband had gone away on his own. She was constantly dragging him and his brother on wild goose chases looking for him. When Alex was eighteen, he left home and hasn't been back in sixteen years. In that time he has become a tattooed, motorcycle riding bad boy, who has a job as an engineer that keeps him on the road. He has reluctantly come back to town to participate in a memorial service for his dad, but has no intention of sticking around any longer than necessary.
Then Alex and Sophie meet, and the chemistry between them is explosive. At first, neither knows of the connection between them. Once Sophie realizes it, she wants to back off, but the heat between them is too much to resist. Alex doesn't want to add to the family drama, so they agree to keep what's between them quiet. Neither is looking for anything permanent, as Alex will be leaving in a few days, and Sophie has devoted her life to taking care of her brother and stepfather, only giving in to her wild side once in a while and with strangers.
I loved seeing the two of them together. Alex doesn't judge Sophie based on what her mother did. He likes her just the way she is. As they get to know each other, he sees past the good girl surface and naughty girl underneath, to the woman who has been deeply affected by her mother's actions. She has spent her life taking care of her stepfather and brother, making sure she has "earned" her place in their lives. She dreams of travelling, but is afraid of leaving and finding out that she isn't needed after all. Alex sees all of this and wants to help her break free. Sophie sees Alex as a man who is still affected by the crazy actions of his mother. He dealt with it all by leaving it all behind and making his own life. Coming back is hard for him, as he has to face the results of his actions. She sees that he needs to reconnect with his family, even if he doesn't realize it at first.
I liked seeing them slowly fall in love with each other. It wasn't something they expected or wanted, since their lives are so different. What they had moved from just the physical to a connection that neither could deny. I liked seeing how they tried to protect each other. Alex would attempt to deflect his mother's attacks on Sophie. Sophie tried to protect Alex from the results of her brother's actions. But they also had to find a way to deal with their own issues before they could hope to have something together. There was a heartbreaking confrontation between them as each tried to protect their own heart by pointing out what was wrong with the other. It took facing their own fears, with a little helpful pushing from others, before they could see a way forward. I loved the ending, especially with the peek at Sophie's plans for after Alex returns from his latest trip.
I enjoyed the secondary characters, too. I liked seeing how Shane and Merry are doing together. I also liked how Shane and Alex were eventually able to repair their relationship. I really liked Sophie's dad and his practical method of dealing with the drama of his wife's disappearance. The conversation between he and Sophie at the end showed just how much he loved her. Sophie's friends were terrific. Their support of her through all her troubles was great. There were also some pretty funny scenes with them, like Lauren's delivery of the cinnamon rolls, and their determination to get Sophie out of her house and to the bar after her confrontation with Alex. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I moved through these books pretty fast. I have loved every single one of them and continue to long for a plane ticket to Wyoming. Ms. Dahl creates complex and engrossing characters. Also hot stories. This one felt a little more steamy than the others but that might be because this pair had no qualms about telling it like it is. I will always read Ms. Dahl's books and I can't wait to see what she has for us next.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Alex Bishop left Jackson years ago with absolutely no intent of ever coming back. But when the remains of his father are found after being missing for twenty-five years, Alex's brother convinces him to come back for the memorial. Of course, what Alex never bargained on was meeting Sophie Heyer, the town librarian, who's prim appearance hides a bad girl underneath. Things are more complicated than they seem, however, as Sophie's mother is the woman who disappeared with Alex's father so many years before. Can chemistry override Sophie's desire to avoid another scandal in her life?
Victoria Dahl writes decent contemporary romances that are on the racy side, but I think I've decided they're not quite for me. The only reason I picked up this one (after an encounter with another of her series previous to this) was because Sophie is a librarian, and I just can't resist any book with a librarian. I was pleased the author got most of the details of Sophie's work life right although I was sceptical that a town as small as Jackson would have multiple librarians on staff. Not super likely in my experience. If you're looking for a smutty librarian romance, look no further. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A good girl with a wild side, a bad boy who sees past the prim & proper image and goes after the spark. But Alex isn't looking to stay in town and Sophie is the last woman his mom wants him to mess around with (short or long term!) And of either of them willing to trust/take a chance on each other...
I liked it. It was a quick read for me but not necessarily a short story. Alex was HOT, Sophie slightly annoying with her insecurities but the chemistry between them was great. Storyline was enough to keep me reading but nothing overly shocking. (Sophie could have let Alex work a little more for it at the end but hey, whatever. Still a good read.)
Good, light comtemporary romace.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review for Netgalley.