Wench Review of ...

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

 
I first heard of Wallbanger after Wenches Merit and Shau enjoyed and recommended it. It was a while ago. And I wasn't in the mood for light, happy, and romantic. It did sound interesting though, so I added it to my ever growing TBR (that thing is the size of Everest now.... and just as daunting to attempt.) Plus, one look at the cover had me bumping it up on the list several times. What can I say, I'm easy.

It wasn't till a couple of weeks ago that I finally decided to give it a shot. I had been reading some heavy stuff, some tragic stuff, some intense stuff, and needed something to distract me. If only for a few hundred pages. So I decided to pick up Wallbanger (the book... not the guy, although, I wouldn't mind the guy one bit.) 

Click through the jump to see what I thought! (Not Spoilery!)

So here's the deal, I do love erotica and romances. The smuttier the better! But it is TOUGH finding good ones! Books that actually make you want to read them instead of skipping through to the sex scenes to see if they're worth reading (What? I cannot be the only one who does that? Can I?) I have bitched and moaned a lot about badly written, cliched erotica (I'm a ranty Wench, the erotica rant was just the beginning unfortunately.) Which is why I rarely go in optimistic. Sometimes, even with Wench recommendations. But when I started Wallbanger, I was instantly entertained.

The book starts off winningly 

"OH, GOD" Thump. "Oh, God." Thump, thump." What the... "Oh, God, that's so good!" 

Yup. There is our main character, Caroline, listening to her new neighbor basically making some random woman REALLY happy (This is Caroline's first night in a new apartment.) Oh and not just listening, she was asleep when the wall her bed is against started getting the pounding of a lifetime. Add that to the fact that she hasn't had an orgasm in AGES thanks to a particularly terrible one night stand and we have a recipe for disaster.

She tries her best to ignore the Wallbanger next door, but there's two more women on two other nights. Who are all very vocal, in different (often hilarious) ways about how VERY good Simon is at hopping on the good foot and doing the bad thing.




My favorite kind.

At this point, I'm sure it's clear we find out his name because it gets screamed so often, right? She doesn't actually MEET him for weeks. And their first meeting is.. well, lets just say it's kinda unforgettable.

I don't want to give anything away since it's a fairly straightforward book. Great characters. I absolutely adored Caroline's friends, Sophia and Mimi. I loved Caroline's cat (seriously, funny things happen.) I loved her boss/friend. Simon is awesome. As were his friends. There was a certain realness to the characters and situations, even when completely absurd, that I found easy to relate to. 

"What? I asked, beginning to giggle the way I did when I'd had a little too much to drink and a little too much sexy dangled in front of me."

We have ALL been there. Drunk Caroline is a treasure. A handsy, incoherent treasure. 

"I tried to kiss her on the cheek, and she pushed me off, "You smell like tequila and sexual repression, Caroline. Get off me."

It has been decreed!

And her friends (and her too, actually) would get along GREAT with the Wenches. For lots of reasons, but their sense of humor is my favorite thing.

"So has he been wall banging at all this week?"
Sophia asked.
"Relatively quiet, actually. Either he really listened to me and is being neighborly, or his dick finally broke off in one of them and he's sought medical attention."

I do adore straightforward characters who manage to be snarky and hilarious, no filter, without being OVER snarky. Not every line has to sound like it can go on a t-shirt or bumper sticker. And I found the characters genuinely amusing. 

"As I mused over these thoughts, headed home in a cab, my phone beeped. I had a text from a number I didn't recognize.

Have a good time tonight?

Who the hell is texting me? 

Who the hell is texting me? (she replied)"

This book was VERY sexy, like.. seriously, very sexy. Very, very funny. Sweet, so romantic at times it made me want to buy one of those boyfriend pillows, snuggle with it, and cry and give up on men. (Because they don't make em like they write em.) I didn't expect the romance to be quite so.... romantic? (jeez, don't I have a way with words?) since the book was so focused on the funny and sexual tension in the first half. But I did like the pace and the build up to something more. Absolutely LOVED some parts of the second half, it was right out of a fantasy scenario for me. (Hint: Involves international travel and basically being an extremely happy tourist in an amazing place with an IRRESISTIBLY sexy guy!)

If you're looking for something fun, light, sexy, and sweet. Look no further. I highly recommend it. It even had bits of wisdom I always like to find in my books. No matter how smutty.

"Always take a complement, Caroline. Always take it for the way it was intended. You girls are always so quick to twist what others say. Simply say thank you and move on.

It breaks my heart the way young girls pick themselves over, never thinking they're good enough. You make sure you always remember, you're exactly the way you're supposed to be. Exactly. And anyone who says otherwise, well, poppycock."

(I can feel a couple of the Wenches and Wench friends looking at me real hard right now because this pretty much paraphrased things they say all the time.)

While I did not know this was part of a series going in, I don't know if I will read the next installment. Since I think this story didn't need any angst or drama or, Lord forbid, pregnancies, and keep going on. But I hear the third book is a new couple. And I'm intrigued. Might give it a go.

This Wench rates it :