Pick of the Week: March 14, 2012

Victoria Dahl’s A Little Bit Wild is divine – witty, emotional, hot – this book has it all.  Marissa York and Jude Bertrand stage a phony betrothal to help her evade a scandal, though Jude secretly hopes to make it real.  He has been very interested in Marissa since they first met, but he never thought he’d have a chance with her.  Marissa has a proclivity for pretty boys and Jude absolutely doesn’t qualify.  I loved these characters.  Marissa is curious, funny, and a little bit shallow while Jude is open-minded, smart and loving.  This novel is unusual for the genre in that Marissa’s interest in men and sex is not limited to one man in the context of one lifelong romance.  This makes her very real and takes on the what-makes-a-man-a-stud-makes-a-woman-a-slut double standard in a refreshingly funny way.  Yet the novel isn’t dominated by this issue – the romance between Marissa and Jude is emotional and really moving.