He was a dare she couldn’t walk away from.She was a game he was determined to win.Jensen Stone was thriving in her first year of college. So thirsty for success she could already taste the achievements on her lips. Nothing would get in the way of her dreams, not even the social pressures of pledging. Until one night, she finds herself in the lion’s den of sorority row, accepting a dare she knew … knew she couldn’t complete.Damien Cross was bored. He no longer craved the dominance and control he had swirling in the palms of his powerful hands. He was determined to walk away from the empire he’d spent the last ten years building. What he didn’t factor in was the unexpected distraction. He might be angry at her inconvenient timing, but the urge to break the new toy dangling in front of him was all consuming. It wouldn’t hurt to play one last time.One night. His rules.Will she obey his demands to fulfill a dare?Or will she realize his dark tastes are anything but exquisite?
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This book gives you a taste of it all! Romance, steam, witty banter, and even suspense! I was hooked from the very start and gobbled up this story in one sitting. Hollyfield’s characters are always laugh-out-loud hysterically funny, charming, and endearing. Exquisite Taste is Hollyfield at her very best! I definitely recommend this five-star read…once you have a taste, you’re going to devour the whole thing!
Exquisite Taste had just the right blend of romance, humor, suspense and sizzling heat to make for a very entertaining read.
The characters were very relatable and I loved how they had me laughing out loud unexpectedly throughout their story. Damien and Jensen were quite the pair and were truly exactly what the other needed. The slow buildup and simmering heat between them kept me glued to my Kindle. I enjoyed how even though Jensen was quite innocent and inexperienced she pushed Damien’s boundaries and tested his limits.
The storyline kept me intrigued and when I started to unravel what was going on there was an unexpected twist that had me devouring every page as quickly as I could. Exquisite Taste was quite a surprising and entertaining read that left me curious to see what comes next.
I loved this book! Damien was sinful and sure gave Jensen a run for her money! Or lack thereof, lol. this fun Hot com was full of moments from a shock and awe, a small chuckle and few LOL’s. I would have totally taken the dare to get close to him too! I love seeing the underdog girls rise above and stomp the catty b**ches to the ground. Jensen is my girl! I wish my college life was as exciting as hers! Where were the Damien’s when I needed them! Go enjoy this book its a good one!
AMAZING! So freaking HOT this book was. It’s super funny and packed with twist and turns. I didn’t know what to expect when I went in, but Its never a dull moment with Holyfield’s story much less with her characters. Damien is full alpha male, totally yumminess! even though there were moments he pissed me off!
Oh M Gee!!! What a phenomenal read!! had a little bit of everything to satisfy ones taste!!I laughed , giggled and was captivated!! then before i knew it, BAM it turned suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat!! Couldn’t get the pages to turn fast enough!! Truly an exquisite read!!
What a delicious, little story this was! It was full of mean girl drama, nail-biting suspense, and some serious, dirty-talkin’ HOTness.
Damien, so dominant, so angry, so effing sexy! The sassiness of Jensen is exactly what he needed. Yes she was young, yes he owns a sex club, but I loved these two together!
I thoroughly enjoyed the humor throughout this story. We get an intense, toe-curling scene one minute, then a laugh out loud, pillow-smacking scene in the next.
I really enjoyed this one!
Now, bring on Kade. <3
5 STAR Review by Jodi for Ruby Red Romance Review
I loved everything and I mean everything about this book. J.D. Hollyfield has become one of my favorite authors and this book…was no exception to that love. Jensen is a new college student. She’s learning all there is to learn about everything. She’s owes a lot of that education to Damien.
Lord have mercy…Damien is all that and so much more. He’s an amazing teacher. An even better…well…man. I loved how amazing he was. I loved watching him bring Jensen out.
This story was everything I wanted and so much more. I really hated when I got to the end. I didn’t want these two to stop. Please check out this awesome story.
Exquisite Taste by J.D. Hollyfield was a nice surprise. Damien and Jensen’s chemistry flew off the pages. They were so steamy together. Jensen is away at college and while at a party, accepts a dare that will change her life.
To support her best friend, Jensen finds herself sneaking into an exclusive and private BDSM club owned by Damien. She is so out of place, she immediately stands out. One look at her and Damien knows he wants Jensen.
This is an older man/younger woman romance with lots of sexy and steamy moments, but some twists as well. Jensen is young, but full of sass. Damien is a disillusioned man, but Jensen sparks something in him.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
I’m not shy about being hesitant about this kind of story. There’s a lot here that’s on the edge of taboo or just out of my comfort zone, but this romance ended up being really endearing and enjoyable for me! I love the badassery that is Jensen. She’s sassy and spunky and doesn’t take any crap, even from the older, much more powerful Damien. He’s somewhat unlikeable from the start, but it turns out there’s good reason and the further we get tangled into their love affair the more things make sense and the more issues get revealed. The sexy time is off the charts which is not wholly unexpected considering his line of work, but their chemistry is explosive.
I’m definitely headed back to read more by this author!
Ooooo this story is an exquisite taste indeed!
This is the story of Jensen and Damien.
Jensen is a newly minted college student. She is giving her all to her friendship to he BFF. Love her defiance!! I applaud her ability to deflect the “mean girls”, but you can also see how it really affects her.
Jensen’s mouth gets away from her brain and she makes claims that aren’t true. And with that she gets into a bit of trouble.
Enter Damien, the owner of Exquisite, the club that’s more than just dancing and drinks. He is excellent at his job, almost too good. But is it really what he wants?
When Jensen and Damien meet, fireworks fly! Their chemistry is off the charts. Damien knows what he wants and Jensen is far from what he expected. Jensen doesn’t know what she wants until Damien shows her what she needs! A whole lotta steaminess and bit of kink is what makes this story great!
There is some action and adventure in this story too! This story is a page turner and I couldn’t put it down once I started.
And of course, at the end, you too will wonder about a secondary character…what happened, where are they! I hope we don’t have to wait long to find out!
This is a fast paced, smokin hot read! Get your hands on it!
Damn!!! I wouldn’t mind signing a contract with Satan’s spawn at all if it gets me in a room with Damien. That man is intense even when holding back. Fanning myself*…. And Jensen is spicy. I really like her spirit. She is in for a wild full of new desires ride with him. Damien has his work cut out for him but she is just what he needed. Someone who would challenge him and wouldn’t be intimidated by his mood.
This book took a turn that I was not expecting at all. Which makes it that much better. Thinking a story will just focus on one thing and then finding out it is more complex than that, makes the story much more interesting. There are crazy nasty characters, complex ones, and others with good humor. You will love them.
JD Hollyfield just knocked my socks off with Exquisite Taste… or perhaps she melted those bad boys clean off with her hot and sultry words. I feel the need to fan myself even finishing 20 minutes ago. I enjoyed Jensen so much. She brought some much needed humor to the story and it was so desperately needed combined with Damien’s sex appeal. Maybe I should’ve been prepared but I was not prepared for the intense sexual attraction or that intense need. I think I was expecting something a little sweeter but that is not Exquisite Taste, Exquisite Taste is electric… it’s pulsating with this reckless abandon that Jensen and Damien are incapable of fighting. Ahhh… this was just amazing!!!
This really borders on a light 50 Shade of Grey but with a man that I liked 100% of the time! Hollyfield writing is perfection. She writes these scenes so you’re wiggling in your seat, clenching your thighs… so damn hot! I love how this storyline just explodes through the gate like a bull seeing red. It didn’t let up the entire book. I read this book within one day… I could not stop! If you’re looking for something that is serious in its sexual designs, something superbly written with in-depth description, want and need that is felt through every single page and this non-stop persistence… look no further. Just a warning… it could increase your likelihood of pregnancy! Yup, you’re gonna want it… want it now! Hard. Fast. Dirty. Raw. My husband thanks you Miss Hollyfield!!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Exquisite Taste is the first book that I have read by this author and I have been wanting to read one of her books. So, I am very happy that I have discovered a new to me author.
This is Damien Cross and Jensen Stone’s story.
She is starting her first year of college along with her BFF. A dare & blackmail has her going into a sex club to get a copy of a contract so that her BFF (who knows nothing about the blackmail) can be one of the chosen for a sorority.
Damien is the owner Exquisite (the sex club). He is bored and ready for a distraction. And, Jensen meets that need.
This book has some LOL moments
I loved the interactions that Jensen had with Damien. She was scared but, I think she was more scared that her BFF was not going to make it into the sorority because of her that it made her put on the bravado.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.
3 stars
Exquisite Taste revolves around a sex club, it’s reluctant owner and the naive young girl that went there on a dare.
Damien Cross inherited a club that’s robbed him of his soul. Despite his many dreams to get out and live his own life, he can’t break free. Being surrounded by what Exquisite offers, he’s sampled all that it offers, but left him completely bored and unfulfilled. When an unexpected visitor crashes through the club doors, he feels alive for the first time in ten years. He’s angry with the intruder, but deeply intrigued by her. Entering into a one night only “contract” with her to show her what Exquisite is all about, he’s determined to break her but instead, she just might help him break free.
Jensen is a typical young person full of piss and vinegar off to her first independent adventure. Brilliant beyond her own notice, she’s on scholarship to the University of Chicago, her second choice school. She’d chosen the second place school when her best friend, Christina was rejected her their first choice. All her life, Jensen wanted a friend so she wasn’t about to leave the only one she had. But the college experience that they each have in mind are turning out to be very different. Christina would sell her soul to get into the top sorority while Jensen loathes the mean girl clubs. However, she loves her friend and would do anything to help her so when the head mean girl sets her sights on her, Jensen is determined to give her that she wants to help her friend. She just didn’t realize it’d involve a dare at a sex club.
The storyline was intense and seductive and empowering from the perspective of a young girl finding herself, her true desires and learning about loyalty but I had some issues with this book. The writing as usual was fantastic and there was humor to break up the intense parts. Jensen was snarky and cute against Damien’s intense domination. I enjoyed their respective backstories a great deal and appreciated the opportunity to understand what led them both to Exquisite.
Trigger warning: while normally I devour all of JD Hollyfield’s words with glee, I had difficulty with several parts of Exquisite Taste. I understand this book wasn’t fully in the BDSM label but it definitely has an over-arching theme of bondage and domination and unfortunately, the safe, sane and consensual ethos didn’t exactly make an appearance. There were situations where a concerning amount of force was used without consent being given, nor was there any kind of safe word. Although the writing was excellent and parts of the storyline was compelling, it it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
AnnMarie – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Jensen loved that she was doing so great in her first year of college with her best friend. Jensen’s best friend decided to pledge and decided she wanted Jensen to come along. Jensen ended up telling a little fib and ended up in a club. Damien didn’t know how this underage girl got into his club but he was determined to find out at all costs.
I loved this book!!! I thought this book was a great read. I loved both characters in this book. Damien has a very strong and dominant personality that was use to getting his way. Jensen on the other hand was very innocent but she definitely still held her own. I loved seeing how there relationship developed throughout the course of the book.
Jensen Stone is a young, naive college kid (yes, I say kid because she’s barely 18). She moved to a college that wasn’t her first choice, so that she could be with her bestie. While her friend is trying to fit in with the top sorority, she’s dragging a reluctant Jensen with her.
Sororities are totally not her scene. She more of the artsy book worm type. But she wants to be a good friend, so she sucks it up and deals with the torment of being completely out of place. While she’s there she’s given a date of sorts, an ultimatum really, get yourself into the super, secret sex club or else your bestie is blackballed from all sorority life.
Enter, Damien Cross, owner of Exquisite. The super, secret sex club owner. When he sees Jensen in his club, completely out of place and then he’s met with her sassy mouth, well that’s all she wrote. He must have her.
I don’t want to give too much away, there are definitely some twists and turns to the plot that keep you absolutely interested in this love story. I laughed so much! And maybe even had an allergy attack for a moment or two. Despite the age gap, these two fit like a glove!
Loved it!!
***5 Stars***
This book surprised me, in the best of ways, but it still surprised me. After reading the blurb, I had a few ideas of how things would play out, and some came to pass, but I couldn’t have imagined ALL that actually came to pass and how much fun it was, even in the batshit crazy moments, and how I became totally invested in Jensen and Damien’s journey and wanted more of them when everything was said and done.
I adored Jensen from the start. She’s sweet, snarky, loyal and determined aka stubborn. And though she has moments of “insert foot in mouth” disease, which highlight just how young and innocent she is, she has a sense of self that is pretty solid considering everything she’s experienced.
Damien took me a bit to really get a handle on him, I ended up adoring him, but with him it was a process and it took him dropping his titanium infused walls to see that the man behind it was pretty damn amazing. He is Alpha AF and may have some control issues, but he has a good heart beneath it all.
Jensen and Damien’s journey to their HEA was definitely unconventional, but it was a fun and interesting one to experience. The chemistry between them from the start was explosive and the insta-lust was strong, but there was no insta-love, though things do progress between them at a quick pace. While their relationship was definitely not the norm, through it they got to see the best and worst in each other, as well as themselves, and by doing that they became more to each other than they could have ever imagined.
As I said at the start, this one surprised me and while I’d love to truly give you a rundown as to why, I can’t. It would spoil everything and that wouldn’t be any fun for you. But this was a fun ride and I loved how everything played out. There is one situation that I would have liked to have gotten a little more of, but it’s a me thing and doesn’t have any bearing on the story as a whole since it is addressed in the end. The secondary characters were all well written, though most I wanted to gut with a spoon, but they definitely gave depth to the story and made for some interesting reading. But all in all this was a fun, deliciously dirty read and I cannot wait for the next one!
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~