Review: Laid Bare by Lauren Dane

LAID BARE
Berkley Heat
ISBN: 978-0425229712
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Menage, BDSM
Length: Novel

The Blurb:
Unexpected Desire…
It’s been ten years since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn’t in the cards just yet…
Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough, in light of a painful event from Erin’s past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd’s best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed—and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?
All this information was obtained from Ms. Dane's website.

This book was bought by myself and all thoughts expressed in this review are solely mine and Elaing8!!!
That is right you read right, Elaing8 has dueled up with me to review this book. IT was her that prompted me to hit the buy now button! She is evil, I tell you! =) LOL! And it is her first review on the blog ~ so please be nice to her!!

This review will be a little different because I have included what Elaing8 has to say about it. So... on to what you came here for.... This review is by Cecile & Elaing8! (Elaing8's thoughts are in red)

First let me say that is was my first Lauren Dane book - evaa - and will NOT be my last. I devoured this book. This book freaking took off like a bottle rocket from page one and did not stop till the last page. And hottness of this book left my fingers on fire!

Elaing8 - I enjoyed Laid Bare. This is the first book of Lauren Dane's that I read. I read this book in one day. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It was a page turner.

I want to be Erin Brown when I grow up. She is a woman of amazing personality, strength, courage, love, devotion and self pride. Erin is woman who knows who she is inside and out. She is comfortable in her own skin and owns it. When we first met Erin, she is young - around her twenties. She owned herself back then. She knew who she was, what she wanted and apologized for nothing. Erin is a very strong character. She knows what she wants and goes for it.
I agree with you on that. She does go for it - whatever it is. The next thing I admire about her is that she will never push you; even though she knows you are capable of going farther than your limits.
Then we meet Todd... Erin's cop neighbor friend. **wink wink** Erin was a hold no bars woman, she knew that Todd watched her every evening while she unloaded her equipment from the bar they played at that night. So, one night her brother, Adrian (they shared an apartment) issued a challenge about her "holds no bar" attitude. So, with a six pack of beer and her body... she sashayed her way to Todd's apartment ~ set to "get to know" him a little better! Well, getting to know Todd better was something she did in spades over the course of the next months. They relationship was freaking explosive. She rocked his world and shook it the hell up. But in the end, Todd had a hard time accepting the true person he was. Erin would never push Todd for something he could not give... So... yea... my heart tore a little with that break up.
In my opinoin, Todd was unsure of who he was and what he wanted, but I liked the chemistry between him and Erin right away. I guess he was a little old fashioned.

Now, I can not go forward until I tell you about her brother's and they absolutely yumminess!! We have Brody (he is the oldest, owns a tattoo parlor) and Adrian (he is the baby and the rock singer). Their parents died when they were all in their late teenage years, so Brody took care of them. Their relationship together rocks this world. Makes me wish that I had that kinda of relationship. Ms. Dane did an awesome job of making me feel the emotion of this family. They are connected in a bond that is truly awe-inspiring. They got each other's back - NO matter what.
Now that I have gave you a taste of her brothers... let the story continue.

Lets fast forward ten years. Erin is in her early thirties. She is still her own woman, just broken inside. Something very tragic happened in her life. She was a rocker back then - in the good old days. Her and her brother Adrian had hit it big, MTV big. And life was good - until that one day. Her world absolutely broke and no where left to turn but the bottle of vodka and pain medication. Ms. Dane - again - did an awesome job of making me feel like Erin was real to me.
Something terrible happens to Erin and shatters her world, but she has to keep on living. She has a very strong support group in her brothers. That helps her through the rough patches.
Then Todd enters back into her life and becomes the rock I think she desperately needed. I love their relationship.

With the ten years that have pasted, both Erin and Todd have changed. Their lives each going in totally separate way from that fateful night back at their apartment. Now, Todd has moved back to Seattle and is trying to start fresh. With that fresh start, he decides to look up an old friend. Erin... still the woman he knew, but some how a little more jaded that before. They picked up right where they left off. Their chemistry never changed, never failed, and never altered. Their relationship is just so dynamic. Back then and now. Elaing8 was right when she said that Todd is Erin's rock. He was what she needed, what she had always needed.

When Todd came back to town he sought out two of his bestest best friends - Ben and Cope (two brothers). They opened up a security company together. All from families of cop, they knew what they were looking for.

In getting back together - Todd back in town with Ben & Cope and Erin back with her two brothers - the gang just got bigger. Family and friends meshed together. This is an awesome cast of characters that Ms. Dane has put together.

Now speaking of friends... Ben gets introduced to us with Todd. They have been best friends for life. They have shared everything - except each other. Well... that is until... Oh you thought I was going to tell you... Yea, I am evil.. But apparently Elaing8 thinks other ways... Enters Ben. I understand Todd wanting to share Erin with his best friend. To have some fun in their relationship. After all, Todd admits he loves to watch. And to see that Todd has come pass the person he has hidden for so long. I struggled with the relationship Ms. Dane put Todd and Ben through. I was hoping the thing with Ben would have just been a fling of some sort, that down the line he would have gotten his own book... But obviously that will not happen. That said, I enjoyed reading the journey this threesome has to go through from trusting each other to telling family that this is what they wanted and dealing with Erin's past. ~Together~
Our final thoughts:
This books is awesome. Ms. Dane created a world which I fell in love with. There were no small roles in this book. Everyone is awesome. The emotion is so raw and real. The love is just so.... there. You can actually feel Todd & Erin's love and devotion. You can also feel the angst Erin goes though. This is a very powerful book. The m/f/m relationship that Ms. Dane created took some time to get use to, but it worked and rocked! Ms. Dane's writing style is absolutely memorizing. I can not wait to see where the rest of the crew goes... and how their stories touch my heart!
I liked all the characters... Brody, Adrian, Cope yum. I also like how Erin's employee Ella's story was weaved through the book. I'm looking forward to reading Brody, Cope and Adrian's stories. And what happens next with Todd, Erin and Ben.


Thanks Elaing8 for doing this with me. I had a blast learning what she liked and what she did not like. I do not like to give spoilers away here... there is a lot more that we talked about that is not here! Sorry ladies... But if you want to discuss the book in your comments just put that it is to talk - so those who have not read this to skip that comment.

To read more of this explosive book, please go --->> here.

There is more of these bad boys... This is a tease of Coming Undone:

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

Brody Brown has always been responsible for others. After his parents’ death, he gave up a promising artistic career to care for his younger brother and sister. Now, with his siblings grown, Brody owns his own business, has a nice house, makes a nice living, and for the first time in years he’s on his own.
Elise Sorenson has come to Seattle with her young daughter to find peace. After years as a world-famous ballerina—(and just as many years in a marriage-gone-bad)—she’s looking for neither love nor attention. But she finds both in the handsome, honest man who befriends her with no strings attached.
More than friends, Brody and Elise discover in each other what they need—wild, physical passion without commitment. But it’ll take a shadow from Elise’s past to make them look beyond what they need—to what they truly desire.

To visit Ms. Dane's site, please go --->>> here.
To visit Ms. Dane's blog, please go --->>> here.
I am sure she would love to hear from you!!! =)