Candy Hearts Romance review: ADORE ME by Darcy Lundeen

 About the Book: 

A hacker is targeting Meredith Crismis’s struggling new dessert company. But when the tech firm she depends on sends hunky computer expert Vlad Wiznitsky to fix the problem, things begin improving for Meredith, both personally and professionally.

First, her relationship with Vlad heats up to the sizzling point, then Meredith’s given the chance to snag a wealthy customer who could put her company’s bottom line permanently into the black. It seems like a dream come true, until the persistent hacker turns her “Divine Desserts” website into an X-rated marketplace, the wealthy customer demands a discontinued decorative item or else no sale, and her relationship with Vlad begins to unravel under the pressure of her obsession with professional success.

For a woman who deals with creating intricate wedding cakes and luscious muffins, life has suddenly become the ultimate recipe for disaster.

Excerpt:

“Do you know how long it’s been this way?” he asked.

“After all the trouble I’ve had with my office computer, I decided to check my company site several times a day. As of four-thirty this afternoon, everything was fine, so it hasn’t been long.” Meredith sighed. Just long enough to turn her business into an X-rated paradise for horny consumers.

“Message just came in for you,” Vlad said, and she stopped pacing and went back to the desk, silently praying it wasn’t like the twenty-seven other messages she’d received in the past fifty-two minutes.

As she leaned over his shoulder, she tapped the message tab, stared at the screen, and couldn’t restrain herself when she read the thing. Angry, frustrated, and seriously at the end of her rope, she gave a growl and stabbed her finger at the message.

“I just got another order, this one for two sets of edible underwear in chocolate mint and two sets in blueberry. That’s twenty-eight orders in less than an hour. I never did this good selling desserts.”

She swung away from the computer and went back to her pacing. “I can’t deal with any more of this today. I’ll contact those people in the morning and return their money.”

“Okay, did it,” Vlad said, pushing his chair away from the desk and turning to her. “You no longer sell X-rated sex toys.”

Meredith sank into a chair. “Thank God. If my parents ever saw that, they’d disown me.”

“Actually, I’m a little sorry to see that site go. Some of those toys looked sort of interesting. I mean what’s not to like about frosted condoms?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to look forbidding even though she was feeling much too relieved to be angry. With Vlad on her side, her sense of helplessness was gone and she could even appreciate the crazy, if sick, humor of the situation.

“Interesting?” she said as she took a handful of rubber bands from a bowl on the desk and tossed them at him. “Now you’re really in for it, buddy.”

Vlad ducked and pushed to his feet, coming at her in a crouch. “I’m in for it? Think again, and then tell me who’s in for it.”

Laughing, Meredith sprang from her chair and ran, but he caught her at the door and swung her into his arms.

“Think you’re going to get what you want, eh?” she said, pushing at his chest.

She kicked her feet, and her shoes went flying. But they both knew her resistance was a sham.

He bounced her a little in his arms to get a firmer hold and began walking.

“I think we’re both going to get what I want,” he said, flashing a victorious grin. “And from the feel of things what you want too.”

My Take

This mostly sweet candy hearts novella is a romantic comedy, with a touch of sex and a side of sassy thrown in for good measure.

I have to say right off the bat, though, that I didn't like any of the character names. Meredith (Merry) Crismis? Vlad Wiznitski? The pair initially bond over their unusual names, but the author didnt take it any further, which was a missed opportunity.

I enjoyed the storyline of the baker and her computer geek, with the bonus of a little computer hacking foul play and that nearly unattainable "big account" to get the bakery into the black. This tale made me laugh in all the right places and cringe along with Merry and Vlad at their missteps, but in the end delivered a satisfying resolution and happily ever after. (If only the names had been different!)

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