Wallbanger (Volume 1) (The Cocktail Series)

Actually I will give this book 3.2Its pure erotica. And the story line is well not too captivating. But it still manages to entertain us. It is about a working woman who moves into a new appartment and she wakes at night from the 'wallbanging' by her neighbor.

Well, this literally is a "boy/girl next door" kind of a story!! I personally really enjoyed reading it!! I think it was a lot of fun!! I liked the heroine and the hero. As we seldom see in many books of this particular genre, that the authors in their attempt to make the hero uber alpha they end up giving us a meek, unambitious heroine, who has no aim in life other than being in love with the hero etc, but it was refreshing to see that this heroine was passionate about her work and she actually had a life, and so did the hero, being with each other wasn't the only thing that they did in their respective lives!!

** Wallbanger is an Adult Contemporary Romance. It is intended for mature audiences.Just a little disclaimer for my YA and younger readership:)**My Take On ItLast December, Leanna over at Daisy Chain Reviews, was commenting about how much she had enjoyed On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. I decided that an adult contemporary romance was just what I needed, a nice little diversion from all the YA that I read. So I downloaded it for my Kindle and pretty much inhaled it in a single sitting. It WAS a great diversion! In fact it was so great that I immediately jumped on Amazon's site and started looking for another book in a similar vein. I didn't want paranormal romance, I wanted to stick with something contemporary. After some searching I ran across Wallbanger by Alice Clayton. I gotta admit that the thumbnail of the cover is what attracted me to the book initially. And then there is the title...not the most subtle. I read the description, and while I thought it was cute, what really sold me on the book was all the positively glowing reviews. So I downloaded it and started reading. Guys, I was laughing out loud within seconds. And once I started, I never stopped. I enjoyed it even more than On Dublin Street and for a variety of reasons. So even though The Flyleaf Review is primarily a YA book blog (with the occasional New Adult and Middle Grade book thrown in) I HAD to write up a review for this book that I loved so much. I've been steadily pushing it on friends and other bloggers ever since (my apologies for my pushiness:) For me, it was the perfect book to read at that time. So here is my PG review of this R rated book:)So, what you should know first is that I don't think the above synopsis does this book justice. So much talk about the O! And yes, the loss of Caroline's O is a big part of this book. But this book isn't just about a sexual relationship between Caroline and her neighbor, Simon "Wallbanger" Parker. There is actually quite a sweet courtship and love story written in, one where both characters grow and develop, before either of them ever do the deed. As cute as that summary is, and while I appreciate that it is EXACTLY what some readers are looking for when they decide to pick this book up, I wanted you to know that I thought it only scratches the surface of what is really a very well written and lovely romance.Next, you should know that Alice Clayton is HILARIOUS. Seriously, this woman can write some comedy. This book is very swoony and sexy, but it is all the FUNNY that makes it such a hit for me. If you are a fan of Sex and the City, if you love all the funny and slightly raunchy girl talk moments between Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda you will love this book because in addition to the two main characters of Caroline and Simon, there are some really great secondaries written is. Caroline's two best friends, Mimi and Sophia, and Simon's two best friends, Neil and Ryan, have the same dynamics as that fabulous foursome from Sex in the City.And the banter between Simon and Caroline is awesome. It's playful and flirty to be sure, and really amps up the sexual tension between the two, but it's super humorous as well. And all of the dialogue in the book was entertaining and engaging. It flowed easily and felt real.Let me back up just a bit and give a little more info on the story at hand. Caroline is an interior designer living in San Francisco. She's got a great job with a really fun boss, with whom she has a very relaxed relationship. In fact her boss has sublet her apartment to Caroline after moving into her new home with her fiánce. As noted, Caroline has got a great set of supportive girlfriends. So life is going good. Fab career, check. Great friends, check. Cool new digs, check. Funny, slightly possessive and neurotic cat named Clive, check. What's missing? Hmmm...her love life. Seems that a few months back, after a string of ho- hum relationships, Caroline had a disastrous one-night stand with someone she not-so- affectionately refers to as "Cory Weinstein, that Machine Gun Effer" (keeping this PG, kids.) After a really BAD sexual encounter, Caroline has been unable to achieve the big O. She is convinced that Cory totally hijacked the O, and no one and no thing has been able to retrieve it. Clearly our girl Caroline is a wee bit frustrated.It certainly does not help matters when, the first night she sleeps at her new apartment, she is awoken at 2 am to her next door neighbors late night escapades. It's annoying but kind of funny because apparently they are LOUD and VOCAL. And then all the headboard banging knocks a picture off of Caroline's wall and clocks her on the head (hence the neighbor's nickname of Wallbanger.)Fast forward to the next night and Caroline is awoken AGAIN. But this time there are new vocalizations, and it's clear it's a different lady. Night three--AGAIN. And again, a different girl. Then, blessed silence for a couple of weeks. Caroline, sleep depraved and rattled (not to mention having to deal with a cat who has been climbing the walls because one of Wallbanger's lady friends likes to meow,) questions her boss and her other neighbors hoping to figure what this guy's story is. Turns out her neighbor is named Simon and he's a photojournalist who is often out of town on assignments. But when he is back in town, Caroline soon discovers, he is often busy with what she calls his "harem." Always the same three girls and always on three subsequent nights. She's a bit grossed out, she's annoyed, she's frustrated, and she's VERY curious to get a look at this guy (who wouldn't be?)The two eventually meet, under pretty amusing circumstances. And then they meet again, under more formal circumstances, and the story takes off from there. What begins as animosity towards each other develops into a friendship with some serious sexual tension thrown in for good measure.Character wise, I loved Caroline. She's smart, independent, funny, witty, loyal, and she's got a great big heart. All in all she is an extremely likable person, she can go a little crazy and get a little angsty sometimes, but she also can hold her own and never lets anyone treat her like a doormat. She sort of reminds me of a mature version of Jessica Darling. She makes mistakes, usually with hilarious results, but I loved watching her learn from them and develop as a character. I also loved her inner dialogue-- her head was really fun to get into.And let me tell you, Clayton does a great job of transforming Simon from what seems like another shallow man-whore into a really well developed, sweet and serious male lead. He's a pretty boy but there is much more to him under the surface. I love a bad boy, so his escapades at the story's start didn't turn me off, but for readers who might cringe at his earlier behavior, rest assured the boy does redeem himself.The two of them have serious chemistry and there are swoony and sexy moments a plenty. Lots of "A[...] a keeper" and lots of "WHOA. That's hot..." Something for everyone:)But what I REALLY appreciated about Wallbanger was that it deviated from the somewhat standard contemporary romance plot line of "they meet, they court, they get together, then they fight and break up, only to reunite at the end of the book." I see this in a TON of contemporary YA as well as adult contemporary romance. Well I am happy to report that Wallbanger breaks with this tradition. I won't give particulars but it was unexpected and a pleasant surprise.Another fun part of the book is that while Caroline, Simon and the other characters are twenty-somethings, there are a lot of pop culture references (mentions of Jordan Catalano and My So Called Life, Brat Pack films, etc.) that will appeal to an older market (older as in my age). And there are some great foodie moments too. Caroline is a big Barefoot Contessa fan and talented baker and I loved that part of her personality. This book will appeal to twenty-something's for sure, but I wonder if they will appreciate all the subtle references that I got as an older reader.So in sum, this book was a big fat hit for me. It was so much fun to read and a PERFECT distraction from reading teenage storylines. I love my YA, that hasn't changed, but it is very nice to read grown-up books from time to time. In fact, reading Wallbanger and On Dublin Street has encouraged me to branch out in my reading and start picking up more adult fiction, so don't be surprised to see more reviews like this one pop up in the future. I'm a romantic so I will probably stick with the Contemp. Romance genre for now, and there are a couple of authors out there that I want to read next, like Sara Manning and more Jennifer Crusie (I've read one of her books and loved it.) I'm also going to check out Clayton's Redhead Series. If anyone has any other suggestions I would love to hear them!If you like funny, engaging, swoony, sexy, yet touching adult contemporary romance, or if you are like me, wanting to take a little break every now and then from YA, you should definitely give Wallbanger a look:)

I liked the story between Caroline and Simon. Simon is Caroline's next door neighbor and he has a lot of lady visitors at night, and Caroline can hear everything between the paper thin walls. This is a heck of a way to start a friendship or anything more!

I loved the book and look forward to the movie on Passionflix. The story is adorable, and I plan to read the rest of the series. My only issue was the story seemed to drag on and got repetitive. Caroline's "self-talk" got a little long and repetitive. I am glad Caroline got her "O" back and Simon banged her wall.

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton4½/5 starsSource: Purchase**Adult-only read**Wooooooo! I knew I was buying this book the moment I saw its cover and man am I glad to say the book lived up to the awesomeness of the cover. Alice Clayton's Wallbanger is a hysterical and hot little read which kept me awake far too late the last two nights!Caroline is a twenty-something interior designer (not a decorator!) who has just about everything a girl could want: a posh new apartment, a great job with an established firm, two fabulous best friends, and a cat, Clive, who adores her. What Caroline doesn't have is a boyfriend or her orgasm, or more simply, O. Since Caroline is no longer looking for wham bam, thank you ma'am hook-ups she can deal with no boyfriend but her missing O is a bit troubling.Simon aka Wallbanger is the smoldering hot guy next door who has a harem of women (affectionately known as Spanx, Purina, and the Giggler to Caroline) who parade in and out of his apartment on a regular basis. While Caroline doesn't care who Simon bangs she does care that his sexcapades tend to happen late at night and often wake her up. Simon's bed banging against their shared wall (hence the nickname) only serves to infuriate Caroline especially given the fact there is no O of her own to be had. One night Caroline reaches her breaking point which results in her storming across the hall to bang on Simon's door and telling him exactly what she thinks of both him and his harem. Up to this point Wallbanger is a good read; after the tether snapping, it gets all kinds of better The absolute highlight of this book is the finely crafted, super funny dialogue and interactions between the characters. Caroline is ridiculously funny, witty, sarcastic, and always calls it like she sees it. (The hot tub scene in Tahoe, for example) Her skills are matched and even tested by Simon who takes great pleasure in both taunting Caroline and shamelessly flirting with her. The conversations between Simon and Caroline (both real and by text) and the flirtations often left me laughing out loud or panting just a little. And the fun doesn't end there: the interactions between Caroline and her girls, Sophia and Mimi and are just as entertaining as the interactions between Simon and his boys, Neil and Ryan. Add to all of this the drama of the boys and the girls hooking up and you quite simple have a fast and funny read which will pull you in immediately. Clayton has a way with words and she certainly passes that way along to her characters. I can't believe I am about to say this but I was actually far more taken with the dialogue in this book than with the naughty bits and I adore naughty bits!And now, on to the naughty bits  There are certainly some pretty awesome naughty bits in Wallbanger but you would be mistaken if you assume this book is all about the naughty and nothing more. You understand from the beginning Caroline and Simon are going to have sex and while their steamy scenes are numerous they all make sense within the overall plot and none are gratuitous. The journey the two of them take to the bedroom is funny, sweet, sometimes frustrating but above all necessary. After all, a girl can't go forever without her O, right? Additionally, the journey to the bedroom (and kitchen and bathroom) allows each of the characters to grow as well as allowing the plot to move forward. At its core, Wallbanger is a very good read that also happens to have some really impressive sex scenes.The Bottom Line: Wallbanger hooked me with the fantastic cover and reeled me right on in at page one. The story is engaging and slightly naughty with characters who are both likeable and excellent additions to the overall story. Clayton has really managed to pull everything together in order to create a lovely and easy read which will satisfy nearly all who choose to indulge. Due to the language and naughty bits I can only recommend Wallbanger to adults but do I highly and enthusiastically recommend this novel. Bang on!!Favorite quotes: I rarely ever add quotes to my reviews but these three made me laugh out loud. You can thank me later "Sweet Lord, there were out-of-control pussies on both sides of this wall tonight." (Pages 10--11): this will be so much funnier when you read the scene this comes from "I was tired, I was horny with no release in sight, and my cat had a Q-Tip sticking out of his mouth that looked frighteningly like a tiny cigarette." (Page 26): again, funnier when you know more about Clive the cat."I allowed myself a moment to indulge in a fantasy where I was then quickly flipped and ravaged to within an inch of my life, but I wisely got control of my inner whore." (Page 138): context be damned, this is just funny!

"Kitten's lay back. You are about to get Wallbanged."My TBR pile is ridiculously huge that I refuse to read a book unless I think I am really going to like it. I've been lucky enough to have read some pretty amazing books lately. But no matter how great these books have been, they have also taken a toll on me emotionally. Although I LOVE angsty and emotional books, I felt like my heart needed a break. I was in the mood for something funny and sexy and after hearing such great reviews, I decided Wallbanger was the perfect book for me. I just want to quickly say that Wallbangerwas exactly what I was looking for and I don't think I've laughed so much reading a book before. Even before reading the book, I was already cracking up with the summary. I got several "she's totally lost it" looks from my boyfriend, but I didn't care. (He should know by now that I'm crazy)After a disastrous one-night stand, poor Caroline has lost her O. Really though, that damn O is so far gone that not even naughty thoughts of Jared Leto or George Clooney can bring her back. Caroline has resigned herself as forever O-less, after all, she has an awesome job, a great cat, a new Kitchen-Aid mixer and an amazing new apartment. The only downside to her new apartment (or is it?) is the very thin walls which means she gets to hear all the late night action and the constant wall banging from the apartment next door. After a couple of nights of wall banging so hard that it knocks down frames from her wall, a frustrated Caroline marches over to her next door neighbor to give him a piece of her mind. When they end up meeting again later through mutual friends and it becomes apparent that they will have to see each other from time to time, Caroline and Simon call a truce. The more time they spend together, the more Caroline realizes that he isn't as bad as she thought. Even if he has a harem of girls that include a spanker, a meower and a...giggler? Things start changing between Caroline and the Wallbanger, what started off as insults turn into flirty moments until they chemistry between them is so thick, it's makes it hard to see straight. It's safe to say that Caroline and Simon are not good at relationships, but they might just be the cure they both need. But more importantly, will Simon be able to find Caroline's long lost O?OMG, you guys, I have no idea how to even begin to tell you how freaking funny (and HOT) this book is. My kindle copy is full of highlighted quotes and it was very hard to pick my favorites. My favorite thing about this book was the slow build up between Caroline and Simon. Although they are insanely attracted to each other, they take things slow and develop a real friendship before jumping into anything more. Caroline was such a great MC, she was funny and had realistic views on life and she didn't take any crap from Simon. And the Wallbanger? OMG, he was just perfect! Despite his less than conventional relationships he had many good qualities that almost made you forget about his harem of girls. He's completely fascinated and attracted to Caroline (and her kitty) and it was great reading all the ways he tried getting close to her. Alice Clayton also introduces of to a great cast of supporting characters which I ended up loving as much as Caroline and Simon. And although for the most part I don't like reading texts between characters, the text messages between these characters were epic!I don't like long books that tend to drag out, but this is one that I never wanted it to end. I could keep reading about Caroline, Simon, their friends and even the cat forever. Wallbanger is the perfect combination of funny, sexy, swoony and romantic that will leave you wanting more. I know I do!5 out of 5 stars!Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Wallbanger:-The girl next door was meowing. What in the world was my neighbor packing to make that happen?-"Have you seen this guy yet?""Nope. My peephole is getting a workout, though.""Glad to hear at least one hole is getting some action around here."-He was wooing me. And I was letting him woo. I wanted the woo. I deserved the woo. I needed the wow that would surely follow the woo, but for now, the woo? It was whoa.-"How thoroughly you own me, Nightie Girl," he said, leaning in to whisper this part in my ear. "And I know I love you enough to want you to have your happy ending."*** of my reviews at:Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed Read more