The Red Diary

By Toni Blake

Book Overview

Shocked and titillated when he stumbles upon Lauren Ash's diary, in which she has recorded her most secret and seductive fantasies, Nick Armstrong sets out to seduce her, make her fall in love with him, and then abandon her in retaliation for an old wrong, never expecting to fall in love with his pr

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446614866
• ISBN13: 9780446614863
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Warner Forever
• Length: 420 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A Very Touching Erotic Romance

This book by Toni Blake is NOT your typical erotic romance. It has warm endearing characters and a really touching story. Nick is a housepainter with a wounded heart. Lauren writes her sexual fantasies in a Red Diary which Nick finds while painting her house. He is enticed by what she has written. He knows he shouldn't keep invading her privacy but continues to read the diary. They have some history and at first Nick wants to get even for a past wrong. Lauren's love teaches Nick that love can heal even the worst of wounds. I definitely recommend this book!!!!

Surprisingly Sweet and Old Fashioned!

From the beautiful red rose cover to the end of the story, Toni Blake's THE RED DIARY is sexy, sweet and hot! A contemporary romance combines with a good old fashioned love story between two unlikely people. Even the secondary characters have a story you'll want to know more about--BIG HINT, WARNER! Overall, a very satisfying read and a story that will stay with you. Did I mention the sex? It's amazing. Thank you, Toni Blake!

A Sensual And Emotional Read

This was a wonderfully sensual and emotional read that will draw the reader in until the final page has been read. The relationship between Lauren and Nick is not only hot and sensual, but it is also a relationship that brings change for the better in both characters personal lives. Lauren is not like her fun loving party hard girlfriend Carolyn. In fact she can't be more opposite. This is not to say she is the "ice princess" everyone calls her. She does have a sensual side that she keeps hidden within the pages of a red diary that only she knows about. Here she feels safe to let her sensual self loose and engage in wonderfully sexy fantasies that always end with a sense of peace and well-being as well with the emotion of love being felt. Her privacy though is about to be invaded by her contracted house painter. She doesn't want to be attracted to Nick but she can't help feel the pull of their mutal attraction. Nick has long hated Lauren's dad. His life has been hard and he blames whether right or wrong, Lauren's dad. He takes the contract to paint her house as a way of looking into a life that should have been his. He stumbles across her diary and reads a fantasy out of it. He can't believe that the "ice princess" has such a hot imagination, nor can he believe that it speaks to him. He thinks the best way to get his revenge is to act out a few of her fantasies, and then let her know he "knows" her secret. Problem with this plan though is he starts to get to know Lauren, and the searing sensuality of their relationship stays with him long after he has left her. Before he knows it he is sharing himself with her, and learning that Lauren is not all that he thought she was. In fact she is just the opposite, she fun loving, caring, friendly, and loyal. She is everything he thinks he dosen't deserve but wants, even if it means risking it all by telling her the truth. Will Lauren and Nick be able to save a relationship that neither was looking for but on that has become so important to them? This was an incredible read! Nick and Lauren both grow and change over the course of the story and as a result their love is all the more sensual and sweet. Secondary characters such as Davy and Elaine are wonderful additions to this story and are important for the reader to understand Nick. Nick has a lot of baggage and the fact that he allows his heart to be opened by Lauren is amazing. Ms. Blake has penned a very sensual story but the sensuality is very key to the storyline. It is in no way filler and perhaps is as sensual as it is due to the relationship of Nick and Lauren themselves. This is one read that I highly recommend. Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

Hot and sexy read

A friend gave me this book to read. I rarely buy/read new-to-me authors without a recommendation by someone whose opinion I trust. So when I got this from my friend with a big thumbs up, I knew it was a must read. I really enjoyed this book and I'm so glad she gave it to me, because I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. I would have read the back copy and figured the book was just 'all about sex' and put it back down. But it's so much more than that. The relationship between Lauren and Nick develops so well and naturally. All of the characters ring true - Blake doesn't pull any punches with her characters and shows them warts and all, which is quite refreshing and makes them all the more human. I will definitely buy this author's next book.

enjoyable contemporary romance

In Clearwater Beach, Florida, Nick Armstrong blames his family's misfortune on his father's business partner of two decades ago, Henry Ash, who took advantage of a grieving man (Nick's mom had just died). Henry swindled Nick's dad out of his share of their business. Nick's father became an alcoholic, his brother became mentally unbalanced and his sister gave up her plans to attend college. Nick worked like a dog to keep the family alive and recently his Horizon Painters firm has had success. Henry's daughter "Princess" Lauren hires Nick's firm to paint her house. Nick's first reaction to seeing her highness is that she is the prettiest woman he ever saw, but assumes she is a shallow man-eater. As he works on her home, he finds her RED DIARY in which she fantasizes about lovers similar to that of her loose best friend. Nick decides the best way to avenge his family is to give Lauren everything she asks for in her diary. However, as he succeeds in his quest, he falls in love with his victim and fears how she will react to the truth. This enjoyable contemporary romance focuses on a deep message that destructive negative emotions by one person have a downward impact on other family members. Henry's collapse takes his children down with him in different way with the plot predominantly looking at Nick, who has a cancer inside him until Lauren's love begins to heal him. Lauren is a wonderful protagonist, perhaps too good for Nick even with her therapeutic love saving him from himself. Still Toni Blake makes it quite clear that revenge harms the culprit as much, if not more, as the intended target. Harriet Klausner