REVIEW: Wicked Weekend

Title:  Wicked Weekend
Author: Gillian Archer
Series: Pleasure Code
Genre: Romance, Erotica
Publisher: Carina Press
Format: ebook
# of pages: n/a
Source: NetGalley
Challenge: n/a
Summary:
(from NetGalley)

Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party-while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for "seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive." Lauren can't take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.

But Jamie is a complicated man. He can't handle how desperately he wants her in his bed-and his life. It's up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.

Review:
Wicked Weekend is a short novella about Lauren Vaughn's fantasy of BDSM and the man she meets who helps fulfill it.  Lauren sees herself as too curvy and always lost in her little sister's shadow.  When the story starts, we find her at her sister's bachelorette party, as her sister prepares to marry the man Lauren has had a crush on forever.  Needing escape, she ends up at the bar of the restaurant, where she spots Jamie and the handkerchief hanging out of his pocket.  She lingers on it, but doesn't make a move and doesn't think anything will come of it, until Jamie approaches her.  What happens next is the best night of her life!  Her introduction to BDSM leaves her wanting more...and more of Jamie.  She can't stop thinking about him now, and accepts his offer for another night.  But this time, it doesn't go as planned...as Jamie's history comes back to haunt him and taint the experience.

Both Lauren and Jamie were easily likable, as well as Sawyer, Jamie's friend and Lauren's idol in the BDSM world.  Lauren has issues with self confidence, and seems to find an inner strength through her encounter with Jamie.  And Jamie has issues with relationships, due to his family history.  Both don't count on the heat and reaction to each other turning into wanting something more than just a sexual fling.  Jamie can't deal with it at first, and it affects their second sexual encounter leading to some misunderstandings.  Also, though their relationship was purely sexual and they hadn't talked enough to have a deep relationship, I was rooting for them.

Another interesting aspect was the flagging system.  I haven't researched BDSM or anything, so I'm not sure if that's a common aspect of it, but I found it interesting.  I hope it's explained more in future installments of this series.  I'm interested in what all the different colors mean, since Sawyer was mentioned as having a gray hanging out.  I don't know if I missed it, but I don't think it was explained what exactly that meant and I want to know! Haha...

This was a fast read, and I enjoyed it.  It has several sexual scenes that are graphic, but not to an extreme, so be aware of that.  I recommend it if you're open to the idea of BDSM and looking for a quick, hot read.

Rating:
Plot - ★★★
Characters - ★★★★
Ending - ★★★★
Overall - ★★★★