My first book by Christine d'Abo, 30 Nights was stunning sexy and flat out awesome. Thank you Netgalley Kingston books and of course the author for writing an awesome book!
This is the journey of Glenna, a research assistant and Eric, a professor. Basically, Glenna is a gifted and intelligent individual who doesn't want to take risks or enjoy life at all. She is content with saying the right things, doing the right things and just getting by. Her life changes when her great grandmother “Great Glenna” dies her life is forever changed. Not only does she get a letter from Great Glenna telling her to live life, fall in love and be happy. On the other hand, Eric is stunningly gorgeous & brooding professor with a past, who Glenna has crush on since she has met him.

Glenna happens upon a stack of sex cards in a cemetery after the funeral, yes very odd place for them to be, but they do wonders for Glenna especially when Eric overhears her talking to a friend about the cards and offers to use them with her! Can you say yummy dream come true!
As more of the cards are being completed you begin to realize as the reader that both Glenna and Eric are starting to have feelings for each other, and both are afraid for different reasons. Will history repeat itself or will these two find the right card to stay together?

An erotic, sexy and fun-filled ride, wrapped in a story that also includes a lot of angst, love and emotion. A perfect combination for a refreshingly steamy evening! 5 Wildcard STARS from me. Now to go read 30 Days since I had to have it after this!
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Glenna O'Donald is a research student at a college where she shares an office with her best friend. She's known for putting work first and never straying from the rules, not even to do something about her crush on the handsome college professor, Eric Morris. When her great-grandmother passes away she leaves a note behind encouraging Gemma to take risks, to find a man, and to enjoy life without regrets. At the cemetery she finds note cards with instructions, 30 days worth of sexual instructions. After sharing the cards with her friend at work and ignoring her encouragement to use them, she discovers that Eric has heard of her desires to use them with him. He's just as attracted to her, but he has a past that keeps him from wanting to begin a relationship. There's nothing wrong with joining her for an experiment, is there? As they begin to follow the cards they find that passion carries emotion with it.

"You've walked by my office every day for the past year. I'v begun the recognize the sound of your gait. I know it's you and not someone else. You laughter will sometimes reach my office and I can't help but wonder what had made you smile. He looked awkward with his admission."

I really enjoyed 30 Nights from Christine d'Abo and can confirm it can easily be read as a standalone, as I have yet to read the previous novel 30 Days. I absolutely adored reading from Glenna's perspective, she's aware of her flaws, but uncomfortable at putting herself out there. It's clear she surrounds herself with friends more social than herself, unaware of the vibrant nature she too possesses. It was really refreshing to read the character development of Glenna, from meek to confident and assured. Then there's Eric, our handsome hero with a past that you won't guess. I get nervous when I read about a male character wanting just sex and no relationship, but Christine d'Abo tackled that with such finesse. He really is an enigmatic character and, though we don't read from his perspective, it was very clear he was dealing with some things. The way both Glenna and Eric find companionship and the strength to tackle some of their fears together by using sex was really enjoyable to read, especially once the feelings came into place. Mix in the workplace drama and things just take off from there. The book definitely has some twists and the sex-relationship between these two is very hot and cold, but it's a story you don't want to miss.

"Professor. I hope the rest of your evening was enjoyable."
"It was. I had a bit of a run-in with a remote control, but I eventually bent it to my will."

30 Nights totally tugged at my heartstrings, I really liked the relationship that developed between Glenna and Eric, but I could have totally done with more interactions. While it is briefly touched on and we know they spent time together, we don't get to experience those times together so it comes across as pure smut. There is one major plot twist near the end that I also would have loved to see fleshed out, it felt too simple and tied up too easily for how significant a moment it was. It weakened my view of Glenna in the end, though it strengthened my view of others.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed the movie." He started to walk away. "We'll have to make sure that you come again for the sequel."

I wish I had read 30 Days prior to 30 Nights, but I will definitely be going back and doing so now. I absolutely recommend 30 Nights to readers looking for a sexual read with a very real plot. You'll feel hot with desire, laughing at their antics, and then hurting for their struggles, it's all very balanced. I think you'll find yourself wrapped up in the 30 cards and where they lead two lost individuals, I definitely was.


*I totally have a crush on Eric, he found his way to the book boyfriend pile.*
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30 Nights by Christine d’Abo
Book #2: 30 Days Series
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4½/5 stars
My Review:

By her own admission, Glenna O’Donald is a coward. At just 28-years-old, Glenna lives a safe life. Though she is an immensely talented researcher, Glenna has chosen the safe route working for a tenured professor who takes advantage of her skills, intellect, and kind nature. Though she is young and attractive, Glenna has shied away from committed relationships following several early, failed attempts. Well, you see where this is going . . . .

Everything changes for Glenna the day of her beloved great-grandmother’s funeral. At the cemetery, Glenna discovers a stack of 30 notecards with the most outrageous suggestions – wild and varied sex. The discovery of the cards leads Glenna to some wild and crazy fantasies but it is only at the very loud and overheard suggestion of her best-friend, Jasmine that Glenna takes the steps necessary to complete some of the suggestions with an actual partner.

For more than a year, Glenna has secretly lusted after Professor Eric Morris. He’s handsome, quiet, sexy, studious, and has no idea Glenna exists. Or, so Glenna thinks. In a bold and seemingly uncharacteristic move, Eric approaches Glenna about her sex cards after hearing Jasmine loudly discuss them. Eric doesn’t just want to see the cards and what’s written there, he wants to engage in the wild and varied activities, with Glenna!! The only caveat to the arrangement is no emotional involvement. Though he won’t speak at length about his past, Eric is unwilling to engage in anything more than a friends with benefits arrangement. Glenna’s attraction to Eric is so intense, she agrees to the arrangement never considering he may be far, far more than she bargained for.

With Eric, Glenna finds she is more adventurous, more daring, and far more willing to experiment sexually. Her past encounters have been satisfactory but with Eric, she feels safe and sexy and wants to try absolutely everything. For his part, Eric is just as willing to experiment sexually and is a kind and considerate lover. Coupled with the kindness and consideration is an intensity that makes him damn-near perfect in bed. Though he wants to remain emotionally detached, Eric finds it hard to resist Glenna which causes him to send a lot of mixed signals and become emotionally conflicted. The sex is good but the emotions that just keep leaking in from both sides are causing problems, and then there’s Jasmine, the best-friend from hell who isn’t satisfied until the proverbial sh*t hits the fan.

Hit the fan it does!! In what can only be described as a sh*tstorm, Glenna’s life falls completely apart in the span of roughly 12 hours. In the immediate aftermath, Glenna is sure her brief time as an adventurous and brave woman is to blame for her current situation. Upon further reflection, Glenna begins to realize the falling apart is only the beginning and if she can hold on to her bravery for just a bit longer, she may be able to have the life she has always dreamed of. All it will take is a little bit of courage, a whole lot of luck, a banana, and some help from some unexpected sources.

The Bottom Line: Last year’s 30 Days was one of my favorite reads of the year so I dove into to 30 Nights with some seriously high expectations. While I didn’t love 30 Nights quite as much as 30 Days, I still really enjoyed this sweet and naughty read. In order to end on a high note, let’s deal with what I didn’t like about this read first. Jasmine! What a miserable effing character and best-friend she is!! Every encounter with Jasmine has me cringing and wondering what mess she would create next. I disliked the fact that Glenna didn’t speak her mind in one of the later and more dramatic scenes (NO SPOILERS!) In the spirit of the Great Glenna, I wanted younger Glenna to unload on the people who truly deserved her wrath and ire. To be fair, that would have been out of character for her but it sure would have been satisfying for me. The things I loved about this book are as wild and varied as the sex cards themselves. Though you don’t have to have read 30 Days, there is a bit of crossover in this book that I was completely delighted with. The same cards getting another chance to come out and play with two new and completely delightful characters is fabulous. Though the cards say the same thing as they did in 30 Days, the sexcapades in 30 Nights is completely different and appropriate to Glenna and Eric and those scenes are steamy, intense, funny, and inventive. Eric is my favorite character in this read and though he is often a dumbass, he is sincere, kind, caring, and just looking to do the right thing by Glenna. In all, I am totally smitten with the 30 Days series and can’t wait for the next installment! ( )

Sensual, Sexual and Fun...

Who would think that a deck of sex cards would lead to such a sensual, sexual, and out right hilarious, story? Fell in love with Glenna and Eric and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them as they took their journey, potholes and all. I will never look at a banana the same way again. Recommend this book...who knows it may even improve your sex life. ( )