When I first met Blake Crawford, all I wanted to do was hit him in the face.
Maybe the groin.
Okay, maybe I wanted to kiss him too, but that’s neither here nor there. I mean, he may have a gorgeous English accent, sexy full lips and an ass I’d like to bite but…
Where was I?
Right.
Being in the same creative writing class, he’s the last person I wanted to speak to, let alone be paired up with … alone be paired up with for my final assignment.
But here comes the kicker…not only did our project end up getting us both As but we found out we work well together.
Really well together.
I hate him and he hates me and yet we churn out gold.
We’ve started writing self-published erotica under a pen name and let me tell you one thing…
Writing dirty sex scenes with the sexiest, most infuriating man you know is a lot harder than you think.
And keeping our hands off each other?
Well that’s another story…one with an ending I didn’t see coming.
Smut is a standalone, tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy from the NYT bestselling author of The Pact.
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A romance about writing romance . . . Brilliant, Hilarious, Sexy, and so much Fun!
I loved the quirky characters, storyline, humor, head-butting, and chemistry between the main characters. There were parts of the book that made me think of two of my favorite romantic comedies: “Romancing The Stone” and “10 Things I Hate About You.”
Nonstop fun and an entertaining escape all around.
This book is funny,sweet and of course a little bit sexy. Boy meets girl, girl hates boy because he’s player, boy thinks girl is stuck up know it all. Now in order to graduate they have to work together and turns out they do that well. Over the course of completing the class project Amanda and Blake become friends but once the class is done so are they. Until Blake proposes another writing project, getting writing experience and paid doing self published erotica. Now they’re trying to stay friends, keep dirty thoughts of each other to themselves as well as their hands. What could go wrong.
I look forward to my weekly book club email featuring all the Q&A’s with my favorite authors. More than once, I’ve seem questions from readers asking if a writer does “personal research” for the erotica they write. It’s not a ridiculous question actually and it’s one that this book incorporates into its storyline…kinda sorta.
Smut is a standalone, new-adult novel written by author Karina Halle. I loved the originality of the plot! Two writing students join forces and try their hand at self-publishing some money-churning erotica. It’s a sure thing, afterall genuine male and female perspectives are exactly what the genre needs. But when the writers swap their contributions with each other, it becomes harder and harder to stay professional. What to do, what to do? Why not perfect the content with some research? Sure… research…
The storyline was fun, and I enjoyed the teaching moments in the beginning of the book when class was in session. The professor provided some interesting perspective about writing as a career and the artform of fiction, and Ms. Halle offered an example of how family, friends, and the general public might respond to an author who writes graphic adult content. If you have been enjoying Ms. Halle’s detour into contemporary romance, then add Smut to your list. I personally hope to see Ms. Halle revisit her darker work at some point but this one is a nice ray of sunshine. Enjoy!
This book had such a fun concept behind it. I loved the characters right away. Blake was perfect. I can’t wait to read more of this authors books.
love it
I have not been disappointed by a book written by Karina Halle yet. This one was no exception. Smut was exactly what I needed at this moment. I’m going through a personal thing at the moment where I’m just sad all the time. This book lifted me up, made me smile, and made me think about something other than my life. What more could you want from a book? It was well written, the characters were lovable, and the concept of the whole book? I absolutely loved it. The witty banter between Amanda and Blake were on point. It made me smile and felt natural. I loved their dialogue. The concept of a book about writers was fabulous and it was fabulous to read about it.
Also, the message of this whole book is on point. No one should ever feel shameful about what they like to read or write. Amen sister.
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I actually liked a KH’s book. Wow.
I really enjoyed this book, even though it was a bit long for me. We really get to know the characters & it was a great (albeit long) build up to them falling in love.
This was one of those books that had been sitting on my shelf for the longest time and while trying to decide what to read next I thought Id pick one from the bottom of my kindle app.
While reading the book I was thinking to myself why did I wait so long to read this, it was funny and such an enjoyable book to read.
If this one if collecting dust on your shelf, give it a go and if you don’t have it… you should get it.
Cute little romantic comedy about Amanda and Blake who are paired up on their final project in their writing class in college. Neither is very excited to work with the other but they write a hot little novella and decide that maybe they make a great writing team. They both have dreams of writing something less popular. Smart funny sexy and fun.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As an author, I loved the writing aspects. As a long-time romance lover, I enjoyed the way the characters connected with each other romantically, as well as the steaminess of their encounters. It also made me laugh out loud in a few places, which elevates any book in my view. This is one that I’ll definitely re-read!
~ 4.5 Stars ~
I just adore Karina Halle. She writes so many different types of stories and is always pushing herself to try something new. I first fell in love with Sins & Needles, which is pretty dark. So when I read the blurb for this one, I wasn’t sure how it would go. She’s had some other lighter work that I really enjoyed but this one just seems so different. Well, I can honestly say that I’m so glad that I read this.
Amanda Newland is working hard to finish her degree. She wants nothing more than to prove to her family that she can not only write but that writing is a respected profession. She comes across as a teacher’s pet in her attempt to achieve the best.
Blake Crawford enjoys writing but he is set on getting his business degree and taking over the family business. He comes off as cocky and is an over the top British playboy. Naturally, Amanda can’t stand him. When their writing course causes them to have to write a novella together, he feels like it will be the worse month of his life. How will he ever survive the know it all who is a “stick in the mud?”
Surprisingly, the two actually work well together when it comes to writing so they decide to embark on a journey of writing erotic under a pen name in an attempt to not only make money but to get credibility so they can write their desired genres. All they ask is that they don’t tell anyone. No one can know who they are behind that pen name. Does that get threatened? If so, will they survive it?
There are so many things about this book that I enjoyed. The cat and mouse game. The fact that neither one of them really want anything to do with the other one. At least mentally. Physically, their bodies say otherwise. I could feel the sexual tension building up between Amanda and Blake and I kept yelling for them to just get it over with. Seriously. At one point the lady sitting next to me at Starbucks looked at me like I was crazy. I was that invested.
“She’s a bit much to take at times and I’m certain she still thinks I’m the world’s biggest wanker – literally and figuratively – but I was getting used to her company. Writing with her was fun. Fighting with her was even more so. Maybe even hot.”
From the beginning we learn that Amanda is a nerd. However, Blake is just as much of a nerd and she is and they are absolutely perfect for each other. They push each other’s boundaries. They challenge each other. They are both loyal and end up showing such a vulnerability to each other that you can’t help but know they are made for each other.
I also liked some of the secondary characters and their banter with the hero/heroine. My favorite line comes from Heath, Blake’s best friend.
“Are you just saying that because you’ve already tried to get in her pants and you failed miserable?” “Heath, dear, you know I don’t try anything, I just do. “That sounds borderline rapey.”
Haha, that’s great. And absolutely correct. It does sound “rapey.”
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a light hearted, fun and super sexy. All I’m going going to say about the sexy scenes is this…..THE LIBRARY! Don’t miss out on this book. I think you will enjoy it and gives some insight into the whole “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” saying. Well done, Karine! As always, I can’t wait for your next work!