#Review Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren
Published by Gallery Books, Simon and Schuster on September 15th 2015
Genres: Chick Lit, Erotica, Romance
Purchase links: Amazon, iTunes
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Source: Simon & Schuster

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
But what didn’t happen in Vegas seems to follow them everywhere.

Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense to not consummate their drunken Las Vegas wedding. If they’d doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now.

. . . Or so goes the official line.

In reality, Lola’s wanted Oliver since day one—and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola’s instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing?

Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can’t get his mind off what he didn’t do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now . . . and it’s far outside the friend zone. When Lola’s graphic novel starts getting national acclaim—and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture—Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she’s not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she’s the kind who’ll eventually like him.

Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn’t just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life . . .

We received this book/audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.

~Vivian’s Review~

You know that “long lost friend” that you haven’t seen in awhile, but when you get back together it’s like NO time has passed and you pick up right where you left off? THAT’S the type of “relationship” I have with Christina Lauren’s books. No matter the amount of time in between their releases, I always have this unique connection with stories and their characters. Just like “long lost friends”, in the midst of life, I always find time to spend with them, the same can be said about Christina Lauren’s books….and Dark Wild Night was no different!

It was a joy to read “LOliver’s” story. Oliver is this quiet, observant, sexy nerd that will do anything for Lola, his best friend. Lola is this strong woman that knows what she wants career-wise, but is completely naïve and slightly stunted when it comes to relationships and love. She doesn’t even realize it, but she tends to get in her own way when it comes to relationships. She uses her drawing as a “shield”, a “protector”, an excuse to keep loved ones at an arm’s length. Oliver’s patience and Lola’s youthfulness make for a wildly sexy, fun, and thoughtful book. Whenever they seemed to take 1 step forward, they would stumble 2 steps back. But for them, I think that’s the best way to build a strong relationship foundation.

Dark Wild Night has it all! It’s sweet, and angsty, and sexy *wink*, with a touch of humor. The dynamic between Oliver and Lola was written perfectly. It was easy for the reader to experience Oliver and Lola’s feelings throughout the book. All their hesitations, their weaknesses, and their strengths were well developed and described. Lola struggled internally. Oliver was hesitant of showing his true feelings. Lola’s true strength was her art, but that was also her weakness. LOliver’s story was well worth the wait to read and I recommend it to any and all avid romantic readers out there!

Plot/Storyline- 5
Characters- 5
Writing Style- 5
Steam Factor- 5
Overall- 5 Stars

ANGY’S BOOK REVIEW: 5 MILLION STARS

I NEED AN OLIVER IN MY LIFE, RIGHT NOW!

I know I always say that, but this time I mean it. He would be so perfect for me *sigh*, he’s understanding, caring, and respectful. He loves deeply and truthfully and he is just perfect for Lola who won my heart from the first line I read in this book.  She is this nervous, super creative, smart, funny and clueless girl, and all that makes her just as perfect for Oliver as he was for her.

So why so many stars, you might be asking…

First, Christina and Lauren’s (CL’s) writing, plotting, and characters’ development is EVERYTHING. They re-wrote this book and thank God they did. I don’t know what the other book was like, but for me they have redefined themselves with Dark Wild Night. Of course, it has the same personal touch as their other books, but this one is more special because the main characters were different from others they’ve written.  

Second, Lola is one of the strongest female characters I’ve ever read. She’s the kind of feminist I want to be. She’s scared for all the changes happening in her life. Ok, scared might be a little light for all the emotions she went through during the story.  She panicked about everything happening in her life, but I love how she found ways to deal with it all. Lola’s friendships with Harlow, Mia and London are great help to her, but who really did the trick was her dad, Greg. Greg is her rock, her compass, her strength. I love their father-daughter relationship.

Third, the gang, Mia+Ansel, Harlow+Finn, London, Not-Joe. They all have a huge part in this book. Not something new from what CL has written before, but it felt different this time. They were more involved, and all their awesome personalities were in full force. I just love them. I think Not-Joe is my favorite. I want to know all his secrets.

Fourth, the storyline is my favorite of the three written in this series so far. The Vegas thing was great, I loved it with Mia-Ansel, they had that backward kind of falling in love process that I enjoyed so much, and later I loved it with Harlow-Finn, they had that hate-love full of misunderstandings kind of relationship, and kinky, yes, very kinky *day dreaming*, but #Loliver have something more meaningful, they had a friendship first. Not that the other relationships weren’t real. They are. And their love is beautiful, but Loliver’s felt honest.

And fifth, (but not the least important), Oliver. When he said:

“I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone quite like this. In this sort of giddy, obliterating game-changing way. Where I can see myself with her for the rest of my life…”

After reading that, I was utterly and madly in love with him–just like Lola. Now, I understand how and why she reacted toward him and their relationship. I’d probably go crazy too!

I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook: Steve West and Shayna Thibodeaux are amazing narrators and I’m sure they will make a perfect audio for Dark Wild Night.