Review : Dirty Thoughts by Megan Erickson

Summary (from Goodreads)  

Title : Dirty Thoughts (Mechanics of Love #1)
Author : Megan Erickson
Publication Date : June 16th 2015
Publisher : Avon Impulse
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Some things are sexier the second time around.

Cal Payton has gruff and grumbly down to an art...all the better for keeping people away. And it usually works. Until Jenna MacMillan-his biggest mistake---walks into Payton and Sons mechanic shop all grown up, looking like sunshine, and inspiring more than a few dirty thoughts.

Jenna was sure she was long over the boy she'd once loved with reckless abandon, but one look at the steel-eyed Cal Payton has her falling apart all over again. Ten years may have passed, but the pull is stronger than ever... and this Cal is all man.

Cal may have no intention of letting Jenna in, but she's always been his light, and it's getting harder to stay all alone in the dark. When a surprise from the past changes everything, Cal and Jenna must decide if their connection should be left alone or if it's exactly what they need for the future of their dreams.

Personal Thoughts

Dearest Megan 

Can I live in your brain? Pretty please? *insert cute puppy dog face*
I mean, you write THE hottest and swooniest boys ever and I'm sure I could find a great guy in there for myself (SERIOUSLY, where are they in real life?!) and live happily ever after!

Love
Nick

I've been a huge fan of Megan Erickson's work ever since I read her light and romantic Bowler University series. There is just something special about her writing that makes it perfect for me. Her latest book, Dirty Thoughts, is one I've been dying to read ever since she mentioned that the book would feature a sexy mechanic and a second chance romance. I mean, how could I even resist that? Dirty Thoughts turned out to be an even sexier and endearing book than I thought it would be. Megan Erickson has basically ruined me for every other romance writer.

I may have already mentioned this a million times before, but second chance romances are my one of my all-time favorite romance tropes and this author knows how to work with it so well. Jenna and Cal were high school sweethearts who came from very different financial backgrounds. After a certain incident involving Jenna's douche of a brother, they wound up going separate ways. 10 years later, Jenna is back and seeing Cal again brings back old feelings to the surface. Megan Erickson is a queen at characterization. In Dirty Thoughts, she continues to show how talented she is at it. I loved both of these characters so much. Jenna, especially, was a sweetheart! This girl had a heart made of gold. She cared about the people around her so much and she refused to back down when she wanted something. I loved how she was confident about herself, but never in an arrogant way. In fact, Jenna has to be one of the most down-to-earth main characters I've had the chance to meet. I actually think I might have loved her even better than I loved Cal and that's saying a lot. Cal, himself, was a character I also fell for - obviously, it's a Megan Erickson boy after all. He was very rough around the edges and very gruff. He was also bullheaded to the bone and there were moments where I wasn't sure if I wanted to squish him or just smack him in the head with my e-reader. After his mother abandoned his family, Cal had to raise his brothers on his own, so he never had a real life. He wants to be free of that burden once and for all so he didn't want a family of his own. Life has different plans for him though when he has to look after his newly found step-brother, Asher. Behind all the gruffness, Cal was a total bear who loved his family more than anything. He had had to endure and sacrifice so much, so I really wanted Cal to have that happily ever after he deserved.

The secondary characters in Dirty Thoughts were also fantastic. I loved everyone from Jenna's best friend to Cal's brother, Brent, whose book, Dirty Talk, I can't wait to read in a few months. The romance in Dirty Thoughts was just ... perfect. There was so much pent-up chemistry and sexual tension between Jenna and Cal. While Cal resisted at first because he didn't want to wind up with a broke heart again, Jenna continued to push through and show him why she was the best girl for him. I loved how well these two worked together. That was crystal clear when Cal had to look after Asher and Jenna was there by his side, acting as an anchor. Cal could also be very stubborn when it came to the romance and there was a bit of a push and pull, but when they finally gave in to the attraction, it was so worth it. Also the sexy times? Phew! While Cal could come across as this stoic man on the outside, he certainly knew how to express his emotions in the bedroom. Even though there was a lot of tension between Cal and Jenna at the beginning of the book, the book didn't feel angsty at all. I also liked how the misunderstanding that usually sprouts in most adult romances about 75% into the book wasn't stretched out until it got irritating. It was handled very well and the misunderstanding was actually something that was believable and not contrived. All in all, the romance in Dirty Thoughts was pure deliciousness!

If you're a romance lover and have never read a Megan Erickson novel, I don't think you've experienced what it means to fall in love with a couple. I don't even need to know what the book is about - it could be dino erotica for all I care, but if it has the name Megan Erickson on it, I'm reading it. Dirty Thoughts was a sexy second chance romance that had excellent characters that will have you shipping them like crazy. Seriously, read this book.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5