I saw this book on someone's blog recently, and while I didn't read the review (I'm sorry but it was late at night and I was tired!) as soon as I saw the cover & synopsis I downloaded the ebook and began reading. Don't ask me why, 'cause I have no idea, but something made me choose to start this book when I already have a whole plate of books I have to review. Maybe I just needed a break from assassins, faeries, and magicians, but either way, this book satisfied.
It isn't that this book was superb and amazing, more that it was unique, and isn't your average contemporary romance. It is and it isn't, actually. It is because the male and female leads, Caroline and Simon, "hate" each other at the start of the novel, and by the end they're a couple who really, really can't get enough of the sex. It was kind of disturbing how often they had it - not that I'm judging - and I ended up just skimming the last few chapters since literally ALL they did was play around with food and sex and dirty talk. That got boring quickly; I was practically begging the book to end.
I should probably backtrack a little. From the very beginning of this novel, I couldn't stop laughing. As I was reading this book at night when I was supposed to be asleep, that was kind of a problem XD Caroline is the exact opposite of the heroine from my recent contemporaries. For one, she wasn't poised at all; she was a crazy woman who had nicknames for all her body parts (and some of Simon's), and she couldn't get over the loss over her O, which was understandable, but who the heck calls it their O? Not that it bothered me; it actually seemed to suit her personality really well. The author did a great job of coming up with each character's specific traits. None of the characters are hat you'd expect, and you'll never find a look-a-like for any of them in any book.
Simon was great because he wasn't the sex-crazed, harem-having man we'd all previously assumed he'd be. He isn't the man with a dark past you come to expect nowadays, and for that I was glad. However, I WAS NOT happy with the fact that neither Simon nor Caroline were good at playing hard-to-get. I'm not a happy girl if I don't get my hard-to-get scenes, and this book barely had any (though I appreciated the ones that were there). From the very beginning, Simon and Caroline were toeing the line between friend and lover, and they flirted so obviously that I was embarrassed for both of them. I'm surprised that they never did take the time to contemplate the fact that while they kept calling each other friends, they were not at all subtle about how much they wanted each other. I was kind of disappointed, but the crazy fun they had together as "friends" totally made up for it.
Things moved really fast between the two, with them being neighbors one week, friends for the next few weeks, and then all of the sudden they love each other but don't admit it FOR THE LONGEST TIME. At around 80% into the book I was practically begging the two to get on with their romance. And honestly, all that romance consisted of was foreplay and sex. Lots and lots of it. There was quite a twist at the end (don't worry, no spoilers), and while that got me more interested, they then went on to more sex. Ugh. They were literally like horny teenagers! I kid you not, the make-up sex took up the last 15% of the book.
To be fair, this book kept me interested until that last 15%, and it was invigorating to read a novel that doesn't follow the "man with a haunted past" cliché. 'Wallbanger' would probably make a nice beach read, though I'd urge against it if you don't want to end up laughing maniacally in front of everybody. I'd recommend the book to NA fans.
It isn't that this book was superb and amazing, more that it was unique, and isn't your average contemporary romance. It is and it isn't, actually. It is because the male and female leads, Caroline and Simon, "hate" each other at the start of the novel, and by the end they're a couple who really, really can't get enough of the sex. It was kind of disturbing how often they had it - not that I'm judging - and I ended up just skimming the last few chapters since literally ALL they did was play around with food and sex and dirty talk. That got boring quickly; I was practically begging the book to end.
I should probably backtrack a little. From the very beginning of this novel, I couldn't stop laughing. As I was reading this book at night when I was supposed to be asleep, that was kind of a problem XD Caroline is the exact opposite of the heroine from my recent contemporaries. For one, she wasn't poised at all; she was a crazy woman who had nicknames for all her body parts (and some of Simon's), and she couldn't get over the loss over her O, which was understandable, but who the heck calls it their O? Not that it bothered me; it actually seemed to suit her personality really well. The author did a great job of coming up with each character's specific traits. None of the characters are hat you'd expect, and you'll never find a look-a-like for any of them in any book.
Simon was great because he wasn't the sex-crazed, harem-having man we'd all previously assumed he'd be. He isn't the man with a dark past you come to expect nowadays, and for that I was glad. However, I WAS NOT happy with the fact that neither Simon nor Caroline were good at playing hard-to-get. I'm not a happy girl if I don't get my hard-to-get scenes, and this book barely had any (though I appreciated the ones that were there). From the very beginning, Simon and Caroline were toeing the line between friend and lover, and they flirted so obviously that I was embarrassed for both of them. I'm surprised that they never did take the time to contemplate the fact that while they kept calling each other friends, they were not at all subtle about how much they wanted each other. I was kind of disappointed, but the crazy fun they had together as "friends" totally made up for it.
Things moved really fast between the two, with them being neighbors one week, friends for the next few weeks, and then all of the sudden they love each other but don't admit it FOR THE LONGEST TIME. At around 80% into the book I was practically begging the two to get on with their romance. And honestly, all that romance consisted of was foreplay and sex. Lots and lots of it. There was quite a twist at the end (don't worry, no spoilers), and while that got me more interested, they then went on to more sex. Ugh. They were literally like horny teenagers! I kid you not, the make-up sex took up the last 15% of the book.
To be fair, this book kept me interested until that last 15%, and it was invigorating to read a novel that doesn't follow the "man with a haunted past" cliché. 'Wallbanger' would probably make a nice beach read, though I'd urge against it if you don't want to end up laughing maniacally in front of everybody. I'd recommend the book to NA fans.
Book Synopsis: The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly...
In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight...
Source: Own the ebook on my Apple device.
Title: Wallbanger
Author: Alice Clayton
Publication Date: November 27, 2012
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult
Pages: 384 pages
