“The hottest, sexiest, most hilariously fun opposites attract story I’ve ever read!” – USA Today bestselling author Samanthe Beck This is a test. A test of every life decision Lisa Michaels has ever made. Lisa thought she’d gotten everything right: The nicest condo, the right career, the best hair, and a perfectly adequate sex life with her stockbroker fiancé. But when the fiancé ditches her … fiancé. But when the fiancé ditches her at the altar, Lisa’s left questioning every decision she’s ever made. What if her instincts have been steering her wrong all along? And what if she tested that theory by spending one month doing the exact opposite of what she’d normally do?
A crazy-hot fling with a tattooed steelworker from the wrong side of the tracks seems like a good starting point…
Each book in the The List series is STANDALONE:
* The List
* The Test
* The Last
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This book had me grinning to myself more times than not. I really enjoyed this sweet story of how two opposites attract
After reading “The List” and loving it, i got super excited when i found that not book two was coming (soon), but also that it would be about the put-together Lisa and someone that would for sure turn her world upside down.
And mine too, mind you.
I guess my weakness for #BadBoys is showing.
Dax did it so.freaking.well.
Both he and Lisa were great surprises, but Dax won a very special place in my heart.
Five stars are not enough to rate this book. I need AT LEAST two more.
I lost count of how many highlights I made.
This one was so much fun!
Lisa and Dex’s story has everything: love, second chances and oh so naughty bits. And I mean ALL the naughty bits.
Please Tawna Fenske tell me Sarah will have a book and a boo of her own.
I think it’s just fair.
Plus, I would get another #BookBoyfriend out of it too. Win-Win.
Oh, and let us not forget Paul. He deserves a lady in his life too.
Maybe a two-for-one kind of thing.
Paul…Sarah… See what I did there?
Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge. Say no more.
Please let us meet this gang of fun and awesome peeps again….
P.S.: thank you for Dax Kensington. Again. Hawwwwwt.
I read in 1 day. Could not put down. Nailed the characters and suspense hilarious and sexy.
Love the way she describes her characters.
Forced to rethink her life at the most inopportune of times, Lisa discovers that success does not always breed happiness. The Test is one woman’s quest to sync her mind and heart to all the possibilities. Sometimes, the road less traveled is the path where we’re meant to be. Ms. Fenske delights with true to life characters who are easy to empathetize with and hard not to fall for. There’s a piece of every reader in her clueless characters and heartwarming stories.
The Test is funny and steamy, with a big dollop of sweetness. Lisa decides to take a walk on the wild side with Dax. And they both find themselves educated.
In true Fenske style, you are going to laugh out loud quite often. And with this one, probably blush a bit. I had to contain my giggles when I was reading at the doctor’s office.
I love that we see the same characters from the previous story, The List. But you can enjoy this book without having read that one. It just gives you an inside scoop.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I love The Test! Tawna is one of my favorite authors. I love her sense of humor, and I fall in love with her characters in every book. Lisa and Dax are no different! I love the idea of Lisa jumping out of her comfort zone to learn more about herself and see the world a little differently (even if some of the things she does makes me stress sweat at times!). I always appreciate how Tawna writes lovable characters who are realistic, but flawed.
This book is part of The List series, but you don’t have to read them in order. I recommend them both!
I was lucky enough received a free, advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved The List so when I saw The Test, I knew I had to read it!! This book is hilarious and a little heartbreaking but it kept me glued to my kindle from the second I started.
Lisa’s fiancee left her at the altar and ever since, she’s wondering not only where she went wrong in life but how she can make a change. When she meets Dax in a bar, she figures what she needs is a break from all of the things she would normally do- starting with taking home a tattooed bad boy. Out of this crazy encounter is born ‘The Test’- Lisa making the opposite decision of what she would normally do for an entire month. Dax was left behind by a woman very similar to Lisa so when she asks him to help her with the test, he agrees if only to get revenge on his ex through another woman.
This book had me laughing so much!! Lisa and Dax, while on the surface seem like opposites, actually had a lot in common. Watching them discover all of their similarities is one of my favorite things about this book. There were definitely some moments that I felt the same gut punch heartbreak that the characters felt but seeing them come back from difficulty was beautiful. I absolutely love this series and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
The premise of The Test– a woman who was left at the altar in the past embarks on a month-long test that involves doing the opposite of what she would normally do – was fun and the main characters – Lisa and Dax -seemed believable together.
I wasn’t sure about Lisa at the beginning when she brought Dax back to her apartment and worried that it was messy when there was a “coffee table book that’s at a 65-degree angle instead of a 45-degree angle” and “a teaspoon in the sink,” but her awkwardness made her more endearing as the story progressed.
As seems to be Tawna’s trademark, the story included animals, good food, and humor. I liked the way the relationship developed between Lisa and Dax, though the “big misunderstanding” near the end felt a little forced. There was also a scene partway through where the couple has sex in an alley that just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get past the thought of how unsafe, unclean, and uncomfortable that would be for it to be anything other than awkward to read.
What really worked in the story for me were the personal interactions outside of the main couple, like the scene later in the book between Dax and his older brother in jail, or the interactions between Lisa and her sisters/friends. As always, Tawna did a great job developing a strong, dimensional supporting cast that I wanted to know more about.
The Test is one of Tawna’s sexier stories, so there was more emphasis the explicit sex scenes than on the underlying story. I couldn’t help wishing this had been one of her rom-com/contemporary stories instead, because I would have like to have seen the characters explored more deeply.
The Test is the second in a series that started with The List, but it is definitely a stand-alone story. If you like your stories steamy, you’ll probably enjoy this one. If steamy is not your style, then I’d recommend any one of Tawna’s other titles (they’re all good).
What starts out as one night of reckless fun turns into so much more as Lisa and Dax decide to test out her theory: change her life by doing exactly opposite of what she would normally do. Including having scorching hot sex with a guy like Dax. In a museum. And an ally. And a tent. (Don’t ask…just read the book!)
I really liked both of these characters! They had great chemistry and I liked that they had fun together. They complemented each other nicely. I especially liked how Lisa was willing to take chances and do things way out of her comfort zone. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
Tawna Fenske is one of those rare authors I know I can count on to always write a great book. She’s never disappointed me, and her latest in no exception. “The List” features two people, Lisa and Dax, who grew up on opposite sides of the economic spectrum. I was much more drawn to Dax than Lisa, simply because of my own past, but Lisa is a woman able to learn and change. Her willingness to try new things had me kind of envious, actually. And Dax is this big guy with a big heart and a great intuition about what Lisa really needs. His sensitivity to perceived slights seemed a bit too harsh, but it turns out he had reason to behave the way he did and it all made so much sense. (Trying not to spoil anything here!) And the emotional connection between the two was amazing, not to mention the incredibly hot encounters they had. Yow! I feel like my reviews for Tawna’s books might seem a bit repetitious, but I can’t help saying again that she just somehow manages to get the combination of sweet/sexy/funny/emotional perfectly in her work. Her characters feel honest and grounded in reality. You connect with them and their stories all the more because she gives them such dimensions. And she infuses it all with a slightly wicked, slightly wacky sense of humor. She’s simply a damn good writer. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book and this author.
Every decision that Lisa Michaels has ever made has been based on the expectations placed on her, there is not really a time when she can remember making a choice for herself, and now that she has been dumped at the altar she is starting to realize maybe it was the wrong approach all along. She has never really done anything because she wanted to, it was always what was proper, never once being brave or daring. So she starts to think maybe she needs a little reboot of sorts, do things on a whim, say yes when she would normally say no, and take a little walk on the wild side. So when she spots an handsome tattooed guy at the bar, she decides to be a little brave and invite him to come home with her, it’s so uncharacteristic of her, and yet it tickles her a little to do something totally out of the norm! And from there her brave little adventure continues to heat up!
This was such a pleasurable read, it had moments that inspired, moments that made me blush, and moments that squeezed my heart… definitely one of my favorites from this author! It was so fun to watch Lisa step out of her comfort zone, embrace this new side to herself and push the boundaries a little… and really fun to watch her explore her chemistry with Dax! I enjoy a good opposites attract tale every now and then, and I have to admit this one ranked high amongst my favorites, it was a fresh and engaging take on the trope. It was really hard to put this one down once I cracked the cover, these amazing characters pulled me into their world, had me mesmerized in a matter of minutes, and wanting to stick around to see if they had what it took to go the distance. Such a great read!! Highly recommend you get your hands on this one, these two are sure to keep you captivated from start to finish!
Requested an advanced copy from NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed.
Favorite Quotes:
I can’t see his face, but his shoulders look like he spends his spare time bench-pressing SUVs.
Is this foreplay? I have no idea. Gary’s idea of foreplay was muting the ten o’clock news and patting the mattress beside him. Don’t think I didn’t notice how he’d peer at the stock market crawl over my shoulder.
Did I ever tell you I used to volunteer at this museum?… There’s an exhibit on the third floor called Oregon Adventure… My first month here, I caught a couple going at it on one of the bunks in the Lewis and Clark exhibit… They were buck naked, right there between the bearskin rug and the display of nineteenth-century muskets.
Does anyone else feel self-conscious shopping for cucumbers? Like you’re standing there squeezing them and checking out the length and girth to make sure you get the best one, and you look over to see every creepy guy in the produce section is staring at you.
Her T-shirt is emblazoned with an electric guitar, the logo for the National Down Syndrome Association, and the words, “I’m rockin’ this extra chromosome.”
For future reference, most people bring cans of beer and Dinty Moore stew when they camp… Not an entire Riedel stemware set and an eighty-dollar bottle of port.
My Review:
I smirked and gasped my way through this delightfully naughty and amusing clever and steamy tale of opposites. The premise was interesting, the storylines were entertaining, the characters were appealing and enticing, and the writing was witty and engaging. And if you just heard someone yell, “Home run!” – that would be me.
Lisa was a fussy and pretentious socialite wannabe who was overly concerned about appearances and having or being the best. However, she felt an itch to sample or “test” the grittier or less refined sides of life, which included experimenting with the many unfulfilled items on her sexual bucket list by going against her instincts and doing the exact opposite of what she had or would have considered doing for the next thirty days. It was to be sex only with no relationship or emotional involvement, and she found the perfect specimen with which to do so.
Dax was a heavily tattooed and dirty-talking hottie who Lisa had met in a bar, although she had no idea he was also a wealthy and successful business owner, as being a shallow snob, Lisa hadn’t taken the time to look past his delectable and colorfully inked surface. I adored the witty and profane Dax; although I couldn’t quote much of his dialogue as he words were typically laced with obscenities. His sexual dynamics, lubricity, and bawdy banter were some of the many turn-ons for Lisa, who was quickly softening during their association with a blooming relationship thoughts working their way in, which wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan.
This book was AMAZING!! There are so many things I liked about it.
First there was Lisa. This is a woman who has always done what was expected of her. She wore the right clothes, has the right job, right car, right friends, right fiance with a wedding right around the corner. Then the unexpected happens and she is left wondering if maybe she should do the complete opposite of what was expected. This is where the fun really starts when across the bar she spot Dax.
I loved Dax from the get go. He is a hard working, honest man who knows the importance of staying on the straight and narrow, working your way up and loyalty. He is portrayed as being a man from the wrong side of the tracks but he is fighting his way out of there. He does have some insecurities but I think we all do and his made me like him even more.
I love that Dax wants to push Lisa boundaries without crossing them and I like that Lisa is willing to take a chance. Watching these two who seem to be completely wrong for each other fall was a beautiful thing. I am very glad I read this book!
Well this is a test I would like to take! I mean Dax was such a fabulous guy and Lisa was the perfect woman for him. Even though Lisa comes off as snobby on first impression that couldn’t be further from the truth. Dax is your good guy with a crappy childhood which still affects him to this day even though he has made something of himself. Once Dax starts talking to Lisa he realizes that she isn’t what she seemed, yes she has classy tastes but a lot of it also has to do with her job as an interior designer. Every time these two are together you can feel the sexual tension between them. I really liked Cassie and Simon together but these Dax and Lisa are just as great. There are some hilarious parts in this book and I just love when I can laugh and still get some hot sex scenes. And there were some HOT sex scenes! If you loved The List then you will love The Test.