A Red Hot Mess - Kimberly Van Meter
A review for The Romance Reviews.


What do you get when the hot one night stand you had to celebrate your new love-‘em-and-leave-‘em ways turns out to be the contractor you hired to work on your house, your sister decides she's going to move in with you, and you're still reeling from your last break-up which also coincides with your most recent ex stealing all of your good china? A RED HOT MESS, that's what!

This romantic comedy was breezy, light, and had me laughing out loud more than a few times. It's the story of Laurel Kenning who, after having her boyfriend break up with her via text and take off with her good china (really, CHINA?), decides that she has a faulty radar when it comes to men. So, she's not going to do the love thing anymore. She's just going to be the love-‘em-and-leave-‘em type. She goes to a club to celebrate her new, freer way of thinking, and she meets a very hot guy, whose name she doesn't even know. They hook up in some kind of closet in the club and then she walks away. Never to see him again...or so she thinks.

When she opens the door to meet the contractor who is going to work on her house, you know who it is, right? Yep, it's the hook-up from the club...aka Aidan Jones. And being around him is really starting to challenge her new "never gonna love again" status. But, is this just her horrible guy radar acting up again or is Aidan possibly the one?

A RED HOT MESS was so much fun to read. Right from the beginning, I was thrust into Laurel's world of mishaps and disappointments that, while unfortunate, were quite funny. Such a great plot with her having to face her one night stand. I just knew I was in for a enjoyable time. And I wasn't disappointed.

Laurel really is a wonderful person, strong and smart, but she hasn't had the best luck with the men in her life. It's clear that she can't be the "no strings attached" kind of girl that she strives to be, but she tries really hard to fight it.

Aidan is so perfect for her. He's smart, grounded, honest and hard-working--not to mention sexy, gorgeous, and a rock star in bed. And he's pretty much smitten with Laurel form the beginning, even though she does her best to push him away. But his determination to be with Laurel is obvious, and quite frankly, makes him that much more sexy. Their chemistry is so tangible, so sizzling that it was like they were magnets drawn to each other by force.

There are some fantastic secondary characters as well like Aidan's twin bother, Laurel's flighty sister, Calliope, and Laurel's best friends, Alice and Tansy who are all not only realistic but very well developed. They rounded out the cast and offered a lot of comic relief as Laurel and Aidan try to navigate their relationship.

So, A RED HOT MESS is a funny, well-written romance that has realistic and memorable characters, a great plot, and an overall amazingly sweet romance. I enjoyed every minute of reading it, couldn't put it down for one second, and honestly was ready for more!