Jackie Lau

Amber Wong has landed her dream job at the Stratford Festival, and life is looking good. Sure, she hasn’t had sex in so long that her condoms have expired, but she’ll just pick up some new ones, along with discounted Christmas chocolate, at the grocery store. And that’s where she runs into Dr. Sebastian Lam, the son of her parents’ close friends, whom she hasn’t seen in years. He’s moved back to Ontario, newly single, and… Oh my God. He’s really hot. The attraction is mutual and no-strings-attached sex is the perfect arrangement for both of them, since Amber has sworn off dating after a string of terrible boyfriends. But what if their families find out they’re spending time together and start interfering in their lives? That would be a disaster. Even worse? If they develop feelings for each other, given a relationship is the last thing Amber wants right now…

A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day

b.andherbooks

Amber Wong has given up dating for almost a year, but she's really missing sex. Deciding she's ready to take on some casual flings, she goes to the pharmacy to replace her expired condoms and runs into her old family friend Dr. Sebastian Lam. Awkward. Or is it? Dr. Lam has glowed up into a fine specimen and some flirting leads to him throwing Magnum condoms into her basket, with a promise that yes, he actually does need them.

They agree to try out a sex-only relationship and their families absolutely cannot know. But as Valentine's Day draws near and despite a slight hiccup with Sebastian's dick actually almost being TOO BIG, they find themselves actually dating. And having feelings.

Dick donuts, sex toys, and waist coasts used as lingerie, this is a fun and steamy holiday novella.

I did find myself looking for a bit more character development, especially in Sebastian's case. I wanted to get a bit more of his personality besides being a "perfect son" He's obviously very into Amber but I wanted to get to know him more. Amber's family is a hoot and I love them.

*I received a free ARC for review from the author, thank you!

Jo H

OK, so the last Wong sibling is absolutely my favourite. And that is saying something as they are all great in their various ways. But Amber, the only daughter, and at 26 the baby of the family is a THIRSTY BITCH - she was also a rebellious and 'troublesome' teenager and I love her for it. 

After being let down by numerous craptastic men including a few who wanted to go out with her because they had various levels of 'yellow fever' for the submissive Asian woman stereotype (which she is decidedly NOT and never has been!), Amber decides to play them at their own game and forgo dating and instead, looking just for sex. (Except of course, this is a romance and things never go that much to plan...) HELLO, we all have needs and sometimes just want those needs met without all the baggage that comes with it... just like men do at times. I've said it about a number of different things in my primary genre of choice, but we don't get nearly enough of these types of women where they are not shamed and called out for their practices in the narrative in some way or another. Slut shamers take heed unless they are equal opportunity shamers which we know is simply not the case. 

Amber is not afraid to go for an opportunity for great sex when she sees it presented to her (at the grocery story like her grandparents 'predicted' lol!) and she is not afraid to go in all guns blazing with her arsenal (excuse the pun!) of sex toys and her slightly dominant nature. Sebastion was a fine counterpart to Amber, but this was all about her as far as I'm concerned. 

However, Amber wasn't all sex and shenanigans (yes that IS one of my favourite words in the English language!), she was a well-rounded and funny at times character, with many facets. 

Wednesday after dinner, Amber was watching a baking show and working on her latest crochet project when the TV and lights suddenly went out.

No big deal. The power would probably just be off for a few minutes.

She took out her phone and looked at a houseplant forum. She’d joined it on a whim last summer when her fern was dying.

She had yet to make a single post.

She was, quite frankly, terrified to do so. Who would have thought that houseplant enthusiasts would be so vicious? But they were. Someone had posted a picture of their succulent the other day, and there had been a heated debate over what type of succulent it was. Last week, a woman had managed to kill a cactus, and oh my God, she’d gotten destroyed.

Amber, for whatever reason, enjoyed the low-stakes and high-drama debates. 

She’d also learned quite a bit about ferns and had managed to figure out what was wrong with hers, but she would never, ever post her own question.

After looking through the houseplant forum, she went to Instagram. She followed a bunch of bakers who posted pictures of their amazing cakes, and there was a spectacular geode cake today.

She is a professional who takes her work seriously, she is creative in her free time, she is part of a fantastic trio of girlfriends, she lives close enough to her home town to go to her parent's house for dinner most Sundays but not be in their gossip circle (smart woman lol) and is an all-round nice person, just one with a strong personality. Amber set down her overnight bag and slipped off her winter boots.

“Hey,” Sebastian said, his hands slung in the pouch of his hoodie. “Sorry about your power.”

“Are you?” she asked, sliding her hands under his sweatshirt and T-shirt. 

She couldn’t think straight now that she was touching him, especially not after what she’d done before leaving her apartment. It had been hard to get dressed in the dark, and it had taken a while to find what she needed.

She kissed him hard on the lips, and he growled.

“I have something to show you,” she said coyly. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Lead the way.” His rough voice vibrated inside her.

Once they were in the bedroom, she pushed him down on the bed so that he was lying on his back, his head on the pillows.

Then she stood at the foot of the bed and tossed her sweatshirt on the floor. He breathed in sharply.
She wasn’t wearing anything particularly revealing. Just a skirt, a button-down white shirt with one—okay, maybe two—more buttons undone that was strictly proper. Plus the vest she’d bought the other day. Some minor adjustments and she could wear this to the office.

“You like it?” she asked. 

“You look hot.” He leaned forward and reached for her.

“Uh-uh. You only get to touch when I tell you to.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Okay.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing, but she’d wanted to wear something he’d like, and she wanted to be in charge for a little. The other day, when he’d cooked her dinner and they’d talked for a long time in bed, she’d felt like she was losing some control of the situation. 

But not now.
They were going to fuck.
His gaze raked over her, and he licked his lips. 

She got a thrill out of turning him on, more than what she’d experienced with other men. 
Discarding that thought, she crawled across the bed toward him, her hands and legs staying on either side of his body. 

And...oh.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She wouldn’t tell him why she’d winced, not yet. 

He was looking down her shirt—he must have a good view of her cleavage in this position—and she watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. He kept his hands fisted in the blanket when she touched his cheek and kissed him, her tongue stroking against his. 

Next, she got to work on his jeans. She unbuckled his belt, unzipped the zipper, and slid her hand over the hot length of him. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. How often do we get to see this type of scene play out where the woman is the aggressor. She took a moment to savor the situation.

She felt like she was the bad girl corrupting him, even though that wasn’t true. He hadn’t had as many sexual partners as she had, but he’d been in relationships and was clearly experienced in making a woman feel good. 

And though Amber’s life was actually quite respectable now—decent apartment, decent job—in this position, she felt anything but respectable, and it was a great feeling. Empowering.

Yes, with him, she had power. He wasn’t some asshole with weird and possibly racist preconceived notions of who she should be. They’d known each other for a long time, but—perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other in nine years—she could be who she wanted with him and know he’d see her that way. The way she wanted to be seen.

It was delicious. And I'm going to leave it at that. Needless to say, more Jackie Lau will be appearing on my ereader again at some point. 


  CW; Inventive use of donuts...


What a fitting end to a great mini-series all based around a tight-knit family unit. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day

Reviews