I might still carry my V-card, but I know exactly what I want in a man. Smart, charming and oh-so-skilled. Too bad I haven’t found him yet.But maybe he’s found me.Because when my charming, laid-back, next-door neighbor discovers a secret list I keep, he volunteers to work through every single item on it.Including the last one — at the end, we walk away and stay friends.I say yes to his offer, … friends.
I say yes to his offer, and that’s when I discover another side to him.
A side I adore. A side I crave. He’s commanding, intense, and everything I’ve ever wanted.
But as we check things off one by one, I find myself breaking the most important rule of all. And I have no idea what it will do to my heart.
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Good story, sweet friendship that turns into more!
Nina and Adam are great friends and neighbors. When Adam stumbles upon a wish list of sorts – he is determined to help Nina cross items off.
Boy do they have fun crossing items off!! And the biggest one of all is a gift that Nina can only give once! “I want you to have me in every way…”
Their friendship was the foundation to something more. This book was hot and fun to read. Really enjoying the After Dark series. Love the set-up for books to come!
I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.
I enjoyed Nina & Adam’s story! I’m glad we got to see more of Lily & Finn in this one. I’m so excited to know more about Jake, Brandon, Kate, Ella & Serena!!
3.5 stars-THE VIRGIN GIFT is the second instalment in Lauren Blakely’s contemporary, adult THE GIFT erotic romance novella series. This is twenty-four year old boudoir photographer Nina, and Adam’s story.
Told from three first person perspectives (Nina, Adam and Brandon) THE VIRGIN GIFT follows the friends to lovers relationship between Nina and Adam. Nina is a virgin but wants what she sees in her boudoir clients-love, seduction, and a relationship but Nina has held on to her virginity after witnessing her sister’s struggles as a teenaged mother, and in doing so, has never found the love or a man with whom what wants to share. Enter neighbour and friend Adam, and the man with whom Nina will fall in love.
While his condo was being painted, Adam spent his nights at Nina’s apartment but found himself battling between head and heart when he discovers a ‘bucket list’ of sexual wishes written by our story line heroine. With his attraction already growing towards Nina, Adam offers to make all of Nina’s sexual desires come true.
THE VIRGIN GIFT is a quick, erotic read; a sexual journey between two friends who quickly discover that a sexual dalliance with a friend often leads to love and a happily ever after. The premise is hot and steamy ; the characters are flirty and sexy; the romance is erotic and passionate. There is no outside or personal conflict-our couple quickly realize that their relationship is so much more.
I am starting to think that books having to do with falling for your best friend of the opposite sex are my favorite. This book, we meet Nina who has a sexual bucket list and her best friend Adam finds it and helps her work through that list….as friends of course. Good book with great characters and low drama. My favorite type of book.
This is the second book in the After Dark series and it’s a friends to lovers romance. Nina has been taking matters into her own hands, literally but now she is on a mission to step it up. She has created a list of things she’d like to achieve in the bedroom, or kitchen table as it seems. And good for her! I love it when a woman knows what she wants and goes about fulfilling her fantasies. Adam had been burnt before in a relationship but he was the perfect man to help Nina as she trusted him implicitly. As long as they don’t break the rules.
This is a real quick read but it’s full of impact on what you would expect from Sin City. This couple had some tender moments and also some very hot and heavy times! Being that they were already friends and neighbors, it was easy from them to slip into the new area of lovers. Adam is a dirty talker, which only spurred Nina on more. If you like your novels with some explicit intimacy then you are going to love this story.
Lauren Blakely’s newest title in her “After Dark” series is The Virgin Gift. The chemistry between Nina and Adam is through the roof. These two have been friends and neighbors for 2 yrs now. They really became best friends before becoming lovers. Nina is a photographer specializing in boudoir photography. She has finally gotten to the point in her life where she is ready to experience first hand what she has been photographing. She wants to be able to completely understand her clients. Due to circumstances from her childhood Nina has not had much experience with men. She creates a list of 10 things that she wants to experience in the bedroom. Adam has been crashing at her place while his apartment is being painted. He finds the list. Adam is the boy next door with a hidden side. In private, Adam likes dirty-talk, some kink, and very swoon-worthy. Will NIna forgive him for finding/reading her list or will she enlist his help? Will Nina give Adam her virginity? Will these two be able to walk away and stay friends? (Nina’s idea) I love the characters, their strength, beauty(inside & out), and chemistry. Will they runaway from their feelings or embrace them? I totally love the writing of this author, the realness of the characters, and how I feel I am right there with them. Lauren Blakely is one of my most favored authors. She writes well thought out stories and characters. She is very capable of writing rom-com and contemporary romance with very steamy between the sheets scenes. If you like dirty-talkers, handsome, a hint of kink, steam between the sheets, and hearts-of-gold characters you will enjoy The Virgin Gift by Lauren Blakely. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars*****
3.5 stars
This was a unique, sweet, and steamy friends to lovers romance. Lauren Blakely does a wonderful job of writing a sweet, engaging romance with a whole lot of steam. It was a next door neighbor/friends to lovers/virgin trope. I enjoyed the witty banter between Adam and Nina. They had great chemistry. There were a ton of feels. I loved their dynamic. Adam was seriously swoony and Nina was a strong woman who wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted. Together they were golden.
This is a standalone with interconnected characters. The story was well-written. It was a quick, sexy, lighthearted read. I can’t wait for Jake and Kate’s story next!
****ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.****
I am really loving Lauren Blakely’s After Dark series! The Virgin Gift is a sexy and sensual read that will have readers fanning themselves throughout. This friends to lovers novella features neighbors Adam and Nina. This is book 2 in the series, but can be read as a standalone. Previous characters from the first book do appear, however, and that is where we first meet our hero and heroine.
I really enjoyed Nina’s sexual exploration. She was timid at first to express her wishes and desires, but once the genie was out of the bottle, there was no going back. Adam was equal parts tender and dominant and couldn’t have been a better “teacher” to help Nina with her list. Yes, things move very quickly between them as they try to navigate being temporary lovers and maintaining their friendship, but the initial attraction was already there, so it wasn’t hard to believe that things would go this way. I liked the mini side story of Adam’s friend, Brandon, and my kindle nearly melted when Nina and Adam crossed item number 11 off the list. HOT!
This was a quick and sexy read and I’m excited for Jake and Kate’s story next!
*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*
If you haven’t fallen in love with these ‘Lauren Blakely After Dark’ novels yet, then you don’t know what you’re missing.
I adored the story, and absolutely fell head over heels for Adam. He’s amazing. He’s the charming boy next door (both literally and figuratively) with a dirty, sexy twist. You can’t help but fall for his good heart and his filthy mouth. It’s a combination that’s just as sexy and alluring as it sounds, and you’re going to find him irresistible.
You are going to have the biggest girl crush on Nina. She’s smart, sensible, and strong. She knows what she wants out of life, and it’s fun to watch her start asking for the things she desires. She’s passionate, loyal, and quirky all rolled into one.
If you’re looking for a couple with more chemistry than Adam and Nina, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find them. These two are off-the-charts hot! But their chemistry doesn’t just linger in the bedroom. They’re fantastic together. Funny, sweet, loving, and a little bit naughty, these two will keep you intrigued from the beginning to the end of their story.
If you’re looking for a book with a healthy dose of heat and heart, I can highly recommend this one.
The Virgin Gift is the second book in The Gift Series, Lauren Blakely’s after dark series. I loved the friendship between Nina and Adam and how it so easily developed into more. I was like their nosy neighbor, Miss Sheridan- I saw their chemistry before they did! Although Adam and Nina agree to stay friends as he helps her check items off her sexual to-do list, it was so easy to see the relationship quickly develop into something more. I adore Blakely’s writing style and have not yet met one of her storylines that didn’t draw me in right from the first chapter. The Virgin Gift was fantastic- full of heart and and a real story about friendship and trust.
Lauren Blakely isn’t just a go to for light and easy romance anymore, she is nailing it with her hot and steamy Novellas lately! The Virgin Gift the second novella in The Gift series, it is a stand alone story but contains characters from her previous books. I am a complete sucker for the friends to lovers book so this one was right up my alley. Nina is a boudoir photographer (seriously bada$$) who just so happens to be a virgin. Photographing loving couples all day is starting to take its toll on Nina so she decides to take charge and find what she wants. Adam is a friend and neighbor who has been crashing at Nina’s apartment while his is being painted. They are both oblivious to feeling anything beyond friendship even though everyone else sees it. The chemistry and easy connection between them is great, you can’t help but root for them the entire time. While the story is short and quick, I was completely invested in Adam and Nina!
Whew! I didn’t know how LB would top The Engagement Gift but she has! The Virgin Gift is a friends-to-lovers story that is fun, flirty and fabulous!
Neighbors Nina and Adam have a very fun-loving and comfortable relationship which turns into so much more when Adam volunteers to help Nina with a very sexy list she wants to work her way through.
The chemistry between the two jumps right off of the pages, especially when they are engaged in Nina’s list of fantasies. HOT, HOT, HOT!!!! Sexy and sensual, I enjoyed every moment of Adam and Nina’s journey and I cannot wait for more in the series!
Whew, someone get this girl a fan! The Virgin Gift is a sexy, sensual, and seductive read that will have you panting for more. This story is not just about finding love where you least expect it, but about discovering your sexuality and the journey that it can take you on.
Nina is a successful boudoir photographer who runs her own business. She loves what she does, but can’t connect with her clients when they talk about intimacy and closeness with their partners. You see, Nina is a virgin. So, she takes sexy photos of her clients and lives vicariously through what she sees through her lens. Until she creates a secret to-do list.
Adam is Nina’s neighbor and best friend. He accidentally comes across Nina’s list and, being the best friend he is, offers to help her cross off each item. Adam is a good guy with a domineering side that intrigues and excites Nina. The items on Nina’s list are hot, intense, and oh-so naughty, but Adam is up to the task.
Their relationship evolves organically, and with their chemistry and an already established bond of friendship, they burn up the pages of this story.
I love Lauren Blakely’s rom-coms, but her After Dark series books are quickly becoming some of my favorites of hers.
OMG! This was scorching HOT!! A page turner I couldn’t put down until the list was finished…all the way through #11. And oh what a list good girl Nina put together. All her dirtiest desires she wants to experience and lose her V card too, in a very dirty specific way. But she needs a guy she can trust and who better than her bestie Adam. He’s the good guy neighbor that volunteers because he wants to protect his friend and maybe for a selfish reason. It’s time to end his self imposed dry spell. Nina doesn’t think he’s up for the tasks until he shows her his dirty dominate side. It’s panty melting when he turns on his commanding voice! But those pesky feelings turn to more than lusty friendship and what a beautiful romance blooms between Dirty Girl and Adam. This was a quick read because there’s was no slack in the storyline and when these two hit that list hard it’s smoking. Both Nina and Adam are terrific characters. I did have a couple of ‘nah’ moments but they really didn’t effect the story so I’m not going to complain but that last scene with Brandon went a little too far for me. I think Nina could’ve gotten what she wanted without going all the way. It was hot though! Fabulous ending and epilogues. I love this new dark side of this author and can’t wait for Kate and Jake’s story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC. 4.5 stars
I loved this sweet, scintillating romance of discovery!
Nina has waited long enough. She knows what she wants, and when her neighbor and temporary roommate, Adam, finds her list and offers to be the man to help her check off every item, she doesn’t hesitate to sign him up.
Adam thinks his heart is closed off after the damage his ex did, but he’s surprised to find that his intense chemistry and perfect compatibility with Nina has him hoping for a lot more from their friendship.
The overall plot line holds no surprises, but the story itself is full of heart and heat with amazing characters and all the smexy times you’d expect from an After Dark title. There’s even a side romance with a surprise twist that was nicely inserted toward the end. It was a delectable read, and I highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Whoa–an “after dark” romance, indeed. Have an ice cold beverage and a fan ready! Or better yet, read in the middle of a raging snowstorm…
The Virgin Gift is a steamy friends-to-OMG-lovers romance with a red hot twist: the list that Nina makes for herself that (of course!) her hot BFF/neighbor/temporary houseguest Adam finds and decides to help her check everything off of.
As good friends do.
Naturally the two decide to work their way through Nina’s list (and just as naturally, the sex scenes that doing so creates are off-the-charts hot) and when it’s all over, they’ll go back to “just” being BFFs again. Because, of course they will.
I mean, we all know what’s going to happen next, right? 😉 NO ONE is going to want these two to be just friends. And fortunately, Ms Blakely isn’t that cruel.
I actually would have liked to have seen a teensy bit more suspense at the end–the will-they-or-won’t-they portion of the story lasted less than a hot minute and was barely even an entire conversation–but it’s not like a single scene before that brought their compatibility into question even once, so…black moments need not apply, I guess?
Definitely don’t forget that cold drink, though. You’re going to need it. 😉
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
AGAIN this woman has blown me away! I really love this side of Lauren Blakely!
A great story-line that will have you rooting for the leads with a huge smile on your face all wrapped up in a sensual cloak of ridiculous sexiness! Everything about this story was sexy and fun! That’s all I have for you. Read these stories!
As a successful boudoir photographer, Nina is expected not only to direct the pose of her clients, but also impart her own experience into the composition. She has a vivid imagination and has done a lot of book research or porn research. Only one problem… she is still a virgin at age twenty four. As such, she has never experienced on a first hand basis, the emotions and physical reactions to a passionate lover. She is tired of not being able to feel what she plainly sees reflected in the photos she takes. One solution. Make a virgin gift bucket list and find a guy who is willing to check off each item on her list.
Her next door neighbor is also her best male friend. They have known each other for a while and this sweet, likable man is the farthest from her mind as a possible partner. All it takes is for him to read her list and ask her… and we are off to the races!
Steamy and sensual are but a couple of words to describe this book. In addition, to me, this book’s message is that sometimes what we want most in life is either right in front of us, or, just a conversation away. You have to ask for what you want. How else is the world to know?
I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Thanks to the author for sharing a copy with me.
4.5 + stars
This is the newest stand-alone in Lauren Blakely’s After Dark : The Gift series and it is just as hot as the first one. This one features Nina and Adam. They are neighbors and great friends. They laugh, eat together, and geek out over interesting facts. They both are happy just spending time together.
Adam has been burned by his last relationship and is on a dating hiatus. He is charming, easy-going, funny, and a great friend. He seems just like the sweet and handsome boy next door, but he has his own hidden preferences.
Nina is a boudoir photographer so she sees people in erotic or loving poses all day long and sometimes her imagination gets away from her. But she has no experience herself and is realizing that maybe it is time to be empowered to find what she wants and ask for it. She is introspective, quick-witted, and comes off like a good girl…but her thoughts and fantasies are anything but.
A naughty to-do list and a volunteer for safe sexual exploration take them to places they never even considered. And pretty soon things are heating up. But will it strengthen their bond or ruin their friendship?
This is an engaging and steamy friends-to-lovers romance about trust, communication, and not being afraid to ask for what you want or need. It’s the rules and boundaries of an arrangement versus the trust and compatibility of a friendship. And the ultimate risk of breaking down walls and mixing in emotions.
I really loved Adam. He was the perfect dichotomy of a good, caring, generous man with an underlying hot alpha. And even though Nina was inexperienced, she was mature and coming into her own. Together they were adorable, fun, and also scorching hot! I love how they could surprise themselves and each other.
I also liked getting more with their friends, Lily, Finn, Kate, Jake and Brandon. There is a lot of sexual tension and chemistry radiating through this group. I am looking forward to more with Kate and Jake in The Decadent Gift.
Wow, this book is sooo HAWT, you’ll be lucky if your kindle survives you reading it.
The Virgin Gift is the second book in the ‘After Dark’ series by Lauren Blakely. It follows the extremely hot and seductive The Engagement Gift, Lily and Finn’s story. You don’t have to have read it, but it does add to the depth of Adam and Nina’s story as both characters feature here.
The Virgin Gift was even hotter, more seductive and drew me in from the opening page. Nina is a boudoir photographer and spends her day fulfilling other people’s deepest wishes on camera. Nina has her own bucket list of wishes, and one day after some prompting she writes them down.
These two shared a chemistry that was palpable and realistic from the outset. Even though Adam hadn’t been looking for love, it jumped up and smacked him upside the head when he saw Nina’s wish list. This isn’t a list you’d find on Amazon, lol.
But, after reading it, Adam can’t do anything except offer to help Nina carry it out.
The list is extensive and filled with every secret desire she’s held inside her. Adam turns up the heat when he shows Nina just how exactly he can fulfill each and every delicious, decadent pleasure she wanted to experience.
But what will happen once the list is complete? Can these two friends stay the course or will giving into sinful seduction end it forever? Find out when you One-Click this amazing, arousing story, just be prepared to melt from the scorching heat level along with your kindle.