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Camelot #1

How to Misbehave

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What woman can resist a hot man in a hard hat? Beloved author Ruthie Knox kicks off her new Camelot series with this deliciously sexy original novella, in which a good girl learns how to misbehave . . . with all her heart.

As program director for the Camelot Community Center, Amber Clark knows how to keep her cool. That is, until a sudden tornado warning forces her to take shelter in a darkened basement with a hunk of man whose sex appeal green lights her every fantasy. With a voice that would melt chocolate, he asks her if she is okay. Now she's hot all over and wondering: How does a girl make a move?

Building contractor Tony Mazzara was just looking to escape nature's fury. Instead, he finds himself all tangled up with lovely Amber. Sweet and sexy, she's ready to unleash her wild side. Their mutual desire reaches a fever pitch and creates a storm of its own--unexpected, powerful, and unforgettable. But is it bigger than Tony can handle? Can he let go of painful memories and let the force of this remarkable woman show him a future he never dreamed existed?

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Along Came Trouble, Flirting with Disaster, and Room at the Inn.

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2013

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3824 people want to read

About the author

Ruthie Knox

46 books1,394 followers
Ruthie Knox is the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. She writes both mystery and romance, usually with co-author Annie Mare. You can find Ruthie's books under the pen names Ruthie Knox (mystery and het romance), Mae Marvel (queer romance), and Robin York (New Adult romance). Ruthie and Annie are married and live with two teenagers, two dogs, multiple fish, two glorious cats, four hermit crabs, and a bazillion plants in a very old house with a garden.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 406 reviews
Profile Image for Karla.
987 reviews1,109 followers
March 7, 2013

4 1/2 Stars!! My first Ruthie Knox...what the heck took me so long?!?! I want to learn how to misbehave, please teach me Tony!! *sigh*

Ruthie Knox knocked this one out of the park. How To Misbehave is filled with amusing heartfelt dialogue, endearing characters, and although this was a novella, the author didn’t lack in giving the reader a rich captivating story that read like a full length book.

When circumstances leave them at the mercy of Mother Nature, Tony and Amber find they are in the dark and reveal things about themselves that they might otherwise not be so quick to tell. They’ve been dancing around a mutual attraction for one another, and the darkness gives way to bravery, and erotic admissions. The heat is on and it was HOT! It was also incredibly sweet and even though one of the characters has a heavy burden to bear it's not overwrought with angst, something I really appreciated.

He’d made her feel as though she could say anything. Be anybody. That she could be who she was inside her heart, inside her head, instead of who someone else wanted her to be. He’d made her feel amazing.

Although I loved the entire book, my favorite part from beginning to end, was Chapter 14. I felt as Tony and Amber strolled to their destination, the pub, that they were beginning their journey to their own destiny, a life together. Don’t know if that makes any sense, but as they walked along, the doubt and uncertainty that came between them, seemed to dissipate. Amid the witty banter, Amber came to understand Tony, and he began to understand and appreciate her, and without any arguing they came to understand what it was that they had together. It just felt so good and so right….it was beautiful and utterly satisfying.

So I popped my Ruthie Knox cherry and it was good. I found a new author to love! I’m going to gobble up everything she has to offer!

Note to Ruthie Knox. Please, please tell me that Patrick is going to get a book. If you want this old lady to rest at night, you need to write him a book. This is just the beginning of my "Patrick needs a book" campaign. Prepare yourself!
Profile Image for Duchess Nicole.
1,275 reviews1,571 followers
February 18, 2014
"Patrick gave him flack about the way that she stared, but Tony liked how she looked at him. She made him feel big.
He needed to stop playing with her, but by the time her wide brown eyes finished meandering their way up his legs, past is crotch, and over his chest, he was feeling so bulletproof, he couldn't resist. "Honey, somebody's got to teach you how to misbehave. You're doing it all wrong.""

So this was really super cute and super sexy.
SHORT SYNOPSIS
Amber and Tony get stuck in the basement of the fitness center where she is a director and he is the owner of the construction site doing renovations. The cute part was how Amber has been not-so-subtly checking Tony out for a while now. Everyone else can see her gazing adoringly at him, but she doesn't know that. Tony does, though. And he seems to think it's cute, too. But it's not until they're alone in the dark that he sees her as more than the tiny, sweet and innocent program director who has a crush on him.

The dark brings out Amber's dark side...sort of. Tony still seems to have to drag it out of her (he gets her to talk a bit naughty). So when their hour in the dark is up, and they step back into the light, he sees her with new eyes. From then on, he can't keep his eyes...or his hands...off of her. One rainy against-a-tree humping later, and it's all downhill for Tony.

THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed this story, despite it's fairly short length. This is a novella length book, but the next two in the series are about Amber's siblings...and then we get another novella from Amber and Tony, nearly a decade later, after marriage, kids, the whole nine yards. So I'm really looking forward to that. What a new and very cool thing to do. It's like an extended epilogue!

I loved how Tony is a blue collar guy...no gazillionaire fantasy here! This is your everyday, average guy in a hardhat.
"Tony Mazzara had a dazzling smile. Like a toothpaste commercial dipped in a porn movie"


Amber is too freaking sweet and cute.
"She was so damn cute, with that face and he ponytail and the whistle around her neck. Not cute like she was trying to be, but cute like she couldn't help it. Like a baby rabbit. It made him want to follow her around to keep the foxes from eating her up.
Except he was on of the foxes."


She's totally shy, she's only had sex twice. Raised a strict Christian girl, she always had the notion that sex was dirty and wrong but recently, Amber has grown up and started to make her own decisions, her own choices. Now, she wants Tony :D

I loved how Tony pulled the dirty talker out of Amber...it was such a turn on to him, and he wasn't afraid to let her know what got him hot. In turn, his actions and words led Amber to being less inhibited as well. They were good for each other, and sexually compatible. That sounds so technical, but rarely do you read an author who can make the sex both smoking hot and also romantic, but Knox does.

A few fave sexy quotes:
**"You look like a bunny right now. You look like you think I might beat you to death with it."
"It does kind of have a...cudgel-like look about it."
When he shifted again, his thigh moved between hers, and the whole hot length of him pressed against her hip.
Not like a cudgel at all. Like...wanting, if it had a shape."

** "I've got a bigger bed than you, and it's not gonna bang into the wll when we make love."
"We're going to make love?"
"We might have to start, in a week or two. If we got bored with all the fucking."

** "You don't want to be...down there."
He grinned. "I would hang out down here all fucking day if I could. I would move in down here. Buy a couch."

Profile Image for Crista.
823 reviews
January 28, 2013
How much did I love this book? Let me count the ways....

How To Misbehave begins a new series that features a family of siblings (Amber, Caleb, and Katie Clark). Each sibling will get their own story and Amber gets hers first in this hilarious and heartwarming novella.

This book, quite simply, has made my day (and possibly my week!). It is a quick read (14 chapters long), but I haven't enjoyed reading a book this much in a long while. To say this novella is perfect would just be honest. This novella IS perfect.

Sweet, funny, and likable heroine...check. Hot, sexy, damaged hero...check. Scorching chemistry...check. Fun, flirty, and witty banter...check! It takes a seriously talented author to pull off a fully fleshed out story in just a few chapters, yet this author does it with total ease.

I found myself engaged immediately, connecting with the characters the moment they were introduced, and smiling and laughing throughout the entire book. This book contains moments of humor, moments of sadness, moments of scorching heat, but every moment is filled with heart.

My favorite novella to date. Go read this book now!!!!

The next book is due out March of 2013 and the final book June of 2013
Along Came Trouble....Caleb's story
Flirting with Disaster...Katie's story
Profile Image for Laura.
Author 15 books612 followers
January 11, 2013
Review posted at Demon Lover's Books & More

All my friends on twitter and in the blogoshpere have been talking about Ruthie Knox. I don’t typically read Contemporaries, so at first I ignored all the awesome raves and comments. But it is still happening. Months later, my friends are still raving about her.
When I was offered the novella How to Misbehave for review, I jumped on it.

And boy am I glad I did. I couldn’t put it down.

A tornado warning traps construction worker Tony and community center worker Amber together in the basement. . .and then the power goes out. Tony has issues with the dark, and Amber is, well she’s nice. She’s really nice and sweet. Nothing amazing has ever happened to her and she hasn’t done anything amazing. Being in the dark with Tony allows her to say things she never thought she could say out loud.

Tony has commitment issues, even when it comes to Amber, but it’s so worth it to watch them work things out and learn to let go of their baggage.

A very steamy and sweet romance, and since I was offered the next book in the series for review and don't be surprised if you catch me reading it.

***ARC courtesy of Loveswept/Random House

Profile Image for Vikki ~ *squee* lite ~.
497 reviews182 followers
August 7, 2013
That was some serious fabulousness in a tiny package.

I love Ruthie Knox. She just has away with characters. They always seem so real to me, like someone I could actually know in real life. They aren't perfect, but at the same time, they aren't caricatures of their flaws, totally defined by their issues. They are balanced. Good and bad, just like real people. I can't seem to help falling in love with them.

Tony and Amber are no different. On the outside, they seem incomparable, but find together that perhaps they both have exactly what the other needs.

Good girl Amber is tired of being so good, but she can't seem to break out of the mold. Tony is a reformed (mostly) bad boy who doesn't think a girl like Amber could ever be for him because he can't let himself move on from his reckless past.

But, in a dark basement, a seemingly unlikely connection is made which allows both Amber and Tony to start moving out of the shadows of who they were and toward who they want to be.

I loved every single thing about this book. (Except that I wouldn't have minded adding on another couple hundred pages :). There was humor and sweetness, hot chemistry and real connection. Everything I could want in a book. I hope to god we get Patricks story at some point because he pretty much broke my heart.

Highly recommended.

Profile Image for Wendy.
526 reviews280 followers
February 2, 2013
4.5 stars!

Hot and totally adorable Tony Marazzo has his work cut out for him in teaching little "Miss Vanilla" Amber how to misbehave. This is an engaging, fun, sweet and delectable read, with laugh out moments and enough steam to warm those little tootsies on a cold winter's night. It's a keeper! Enjoy!
Profile Image for Mandi.
2,344 reviews733 followers
January 28, 2013
“Honey, somebody’s got to teach you how to misbehave. You’re doing it all wrong.”

How much fun is this novella? A whole lotta fun. The hero is nicknamed The Italian Stallion, need I say more? Okay I do, because Tony is an adorable, blue-collared hero who is this big lug of a man who is a little damaged and has fears and…well let me back up and set up the story.

Amber Clark is the community director in the small town of Camelot, Ohio. She has her eyes on the very sexy foreman, who has been renovating the center. She can’t stop lusting and imagining what she could do with this hunk of man that walks by her desk several times a day. Problem is, she is too shy to make a move. She went to a Christian college, and although when she left there she left behind a lot of her religion, and her virginity, she just plain doesn’t have experience with men. But when the tornado siren sounds, and it’s just her and Tony left in the building to go hide together in the basement, she is going to get real familiar with him quick.

Tony had a very wild and rough young adult life, and has tried to live a good, straight life for awhile now. He had a very dark moment in his past and he still carries guilt around him with. He has noticed Amber, he has actually noticed her noticing him, but he thinks he is too damaged and not good enough for her. To him, she looks like a little, virginal bunny, something he can break. But when he is in the basement with her, and the power goes out, he needs her more than ever. Having a great fear of the dark, he starts to have a panic attack, until she talks him out of it. They form a bond of sort – well, a sexual tension bond let’s call it…and they continue their sexual banter into the daylight.

For a novella, Ruthie Knox does a nice job building up great sexual tension between these two and then giving us a very dirty, and wicked pay off. Tony is just adorable. I can’t resist a blue-collar hero:

The way his hair stuck out underneath his hard hat and clung to the back of his neck, a few weeks overdue for a visit with the scissors. The way his hands always looked so beat up when he held the door open for her – a dark blood blister under his thumbnail, a crack in one knuckle.

Someone catch me while I swoon. And yes he carries around guilt from a past event, and he still beats himself up over it but fortunately, with a little push from Amber, he decides to stop letting life pass him by.

And speaking of Amber, she is a great heroine. She went to a strict bible college, and she doesn’t rebel from it but she has explored other aspects of her life. She has tried to date, but it hasn’t turned out so well. She is so in lust with Tony to start this book, that even though she is shy about a physical relationship, that lust pushes her to push him into trying something. Which of course eventually turns into true love.

And this book is wicked sexy. I’ll leave you with a short peek

“You’re hard,” she said, because she couldn’t quite believe it.

“Not now,” he muttered, and his mouth moved to her neck, his hands to her breasts, cupping them through her we shirt and her bra. His thumbs rubbed over her nipples, sweeping, pressing as he pushed between her legs and ground into her softness.

She was too turned on to think, but something didn’t quite make sense about his denial, “you are, though. I can feel your….your—“

“Don’t say that now, Amber, or I swear to God I will fuck you up against this tree, and you will like it.”


This is the start to her new Camelot series, focused on Amber and her siblings. The next book will be full length. If you have yet to read Ruthie Knox, She was a debut author last year and everything she has released has been really great. Don’t miss out.

Rating: B+
Profile Image for Paula .
704 reviews231 followers
January 21, 2013

Amber Clark has been been known as the good girl all her life. But Amber doesn't feel like a good girl when she sees the muscular, sexy bad boy Tony Mazzara walking around the construction site at the community center where she works. The things Amber would like to do with Tony are definitely not good girl thoughts. No, Amber is a bad girl screaming to come out of her shell.

When a tornado threatens to come through their town, Amber and Tony are forced to take shelter into the basement of the community center. Amber, who has been sheltered all her life, is a little nervous to be in the same vicinity with Tony, and it has nothing to do with him being a bad boy. No, Amber is in lust with the man. And when the lights go out, Amber learns that the Italian Stallion is afraid of the dark.

To keep Tony calm, Amber tries to comfort him by talking to him. As they begin to get to know one another, Tony learns just how innocent Amber really is. He then begins to teach her how to misbehave. Amber begins to say things she never thought she would say out loud. These sexy and bold things he persuades Amber to say stokes a fire in Tony he hasn't felt in a long time.

Because of a family tragedy, Tony doesn't think he deserves to be happy. He tries really hard to keep his distance from Amber, to no avail. He is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. With Amber's new found courage and boldness, she is determined to make Tony finish what he started in the basement.

"But you kind of want to do that? What you said?
"Say it."
“You kind of want to-" Oh, Lord. "To fuck me on the floor?"
She heard something give a soft thunk against the concrete. She thought it might be his skull.
"Yeah, honey, I want to."
"That's hot."
Another soft thunk. "Jesus Christ," he said. "You're not a bunny at all."


What starts out as just dirty talk in a basement, turns into something deeper, passionate. Amber discovers a lot about herself with Tony. And, in turn, Amber helps Tony learn to forgive himself.

Wow, this is one heck of a short story. How to Misbehave is an emotionally charged, hot and steamy romance with a touch of humor and memorable characters. This is a great beginning to Miz Knox's Camelot series. If you’ve never read anything by Ruthie Knox, you are missing out. Two of my favorite contemporary romances I read in 2012 were Ride with Me and About Last Night. I highly recommend both of those books. So, of course I was excited when I was invited to review this fabulous short story. I'm most definitely looking forward to the second book in the series, Along Came Trouble.

Rating: B+
Heat: Hot


-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review


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Profile Image for Jen .
814 reviews625 followers
January 30, 2013
It wasn't that she wanted to misbehave. She just wanted to locate some other set of standards, some way to be and feel without worrying so much about doing the right thing all the time. She wanted to follow the occasional crazy impulse without getting smacked down for it.

That’s our gal Amber in a nutshell. She’s spent her entire life being the good girl and trying to please everyone around her with a heavy emphasis on not making big mistakes. She’s the girl who got straight A’s and went to mass twice a week to please her mother. She even took the extremely safe route and chose to attend the Nazarene college (no kissing allowed!) in her hometown. At 24 she’s not a virgin, but her past relationships have left her feeling like she’s missing out and she’s flat out over it! Since she’s got nothing good to show for her 24 years of good behavior, why not work on being a little bad. Conveniently enough she knows just the man she’d like to help corrupt her.

It was dazzling. Tony Mazzera had a dazzling smile. Like a toothpaste commercial dipped in a porn movie.

Tony’s a reformed bad boy who’s pretty much lost faith in himself. He made some poor choices in his younger years and he still carries the weight of it. Surprise! Tony doesn’t do relationships. At all. He makes sure the women he spends the night with know it’ll be just that…one night. His construction company’s been working on site at Amber’s job and he’s noticed she has a wee crush on him. He also knows she’s way too innocent to be another one of his notches. Nothing short of a natural disaster could bring these two crazy kids together. Enter a tornado, a pitch black basement and a man with an extreme fear of the dark.

What I liked so much about this novella sized read was that Amber and Tony didn’t lack for character development. They could’ve easily been made into easy stereotypes, but Ruthie Knox managed to avoid that. Amber’s a good girl who hasn’t been given the opportunity to let her freak flag fly, but she’s also sarcastic and not afraid to speak her mind. Tony’s a commitment fob who obviously cares deeply for his family, recognizes the error of his ways and can see almost immediately how cool Amber is. If only he could realize that he, too, was pure awesome. Awesome with a side of outstanding ass.

Does it border on cliché at times? You bet. But it’s also very well done and kept my interest for the duration. At this point in the day that’s enough to make me happy.
Profile Image for Eleanor.
1,445 reviews64 followers
December 7, 2012
Can you say the cutest novella EVER? Because seriously - this is it.

Amber is living life feeling unsatisfied but not really realizing it. She has a secret crush on Tony, a construction worker at her work. When a tornado hits, last two in the building they are forced to huddle together in the basement until it passes.

I won't say much more, because it's such a short story, I'll just ruin it. But it made me laugh and it made my eyes misty and it made me swoon so fucking much. And it's just the cutest ever. I said that already.

Anyway, go and buy and read and swoon.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Profile Image for Ash Wednesday.
441 reviews547 followers
November 25, 2013
3.5 STARS

SEX BOOK! Yep, this is a sex book! Well strictly speaking there was one graphic sex scene but with lots of sexy sexual tension and salacious sexual innuendoes in this one between the shy good girl and the construction guy she's been crushing on for quite some time.

He wears a tool belt.

And a hard hat.
"You mean that man who keeps you late? You can't go down to the basement with him."
"Ofcourse I can. I have to."
"He's a stranger."
Yes but there's a tornado."

Hear that? A fucking tornado! You know what that means!



For a hundred page novella, I found this book charming enough, with just the right amount of believability to keep the fantastical aspects in check, keeping it from being too porny. I also found the banter and tension between the characters leading to that one sexytime cute and enjoyable. Playing the doe-eyed heroine wanting to break out of her goody-two-shoes mold, I found Amber surprisingly likable. She's not a shy, guileless virgin mooning over the hot Italian beefcake who, ahem, hammers for a living (rawr) but she's not a ball-busting, whistle-carrying, man-hater either.
"Quit honeying me. I'm not your honey. I'm a person, Tony, and I want to have sex with you. Don't go thinking you're some kind of god just because you know I like you. You're not going to break my heart by putting your… your dick in me."



She almost made this the perfect read after my last book.

Almost.

Because things pretty much went downhill after that.

I just find it an incredible waste when after some considerable effort of making me like the lead characters for being pragmatic, accepting their flaws and issues as part of their emotional depth… they have to succumb and give in to archaic notions of what an HEA is. Because newsflash, not all HEAs need a declaration of love in the end, and not all "I love you"s mean an HEA. I think pretty much everyone in your target, reading audience knows that. And I'm grudgingly willing to overlook that cliche had it not end up scrapping and debunking the first 50-pages which I really REALLY liked.

This could've gone way better for me if the extremely likable characters weren't made to bend over backwards to satisfy a fantasy I'm not even sure still exists among romance readers.

Also on BookLikes.
January 13, 2014

"...It's tricky to misbehave just the right amount... too little is bad of course. it sucks all the joy out of life. Trying to be good all the time. Trying to be safe.

But then if you overdo it, that's dangerous too. I think maybe everybody should have somebody to help them figure it out. Keep them in check. Misbehave with them, you know?"



A very cute and lovable story of 2 completely different people on misbehaving spectrum meeting in the middle to create one whole.

This story reminded me very much of Goldiclocks and 3 bears... if it was directed by a porn director...

this one is too naughty...

this one is too nice...


aaaaah this one is just perfect!


Profile Image for Jaime Arkin.
1,467 reviews1,366 followers
September 29, 2014
I adore Ruthie Knox's writing style and her ability to tell just a wonderful story. Ride With Me by her is probably one of my fave Contemporary Romance books ever, and dare I say it... she's probably my favorite Contemporary Romance author around.

How to Misbehave is no exception. Amber Clark is working at the Camelot Community Center when a tornado warning forces her to spend time in the basement with a man she's been crushing over.

Tony Mazzara hasn't had the easiest life but he's managed to forge ahead, now working as a building contractor and his current job is at the Camelot Community Center.

If you want to talk about complete opposites, Tony and Amber are it. She isn't unhappy in her life, but she realizes that something is missing, that she isn't living the life she wants and she thinks that Tony can help. Her only two sexual encounters were unfulfilling to say the least.

I adore there two together... The chemistry between the two is wonderfully written and believable and while the book has some seriousness to it, it still manages to offer some light and sweet moments as well. The characters are far from perfect, but that's reality and I loved it.

"You don't want to be... down there."

He grinned. "I would hang out down here all fucking day if I could. I would move in down here. Buy a couch."


or

She thought about saying that he had treated her like a princess, but she was afraid her mother would ask how, and she didn't think cock jokes and orgasms were her mom's idea of the princess treatment."

See... hot, sweet, sexy and perfect! And that's hard to do in a novella!

Photobucket

I'm incredibly excited about the Camelot Series that this book is a part of. I think I'm really going to enjoy the Clark family!

Thank you to Netgalley and Loveswept for an advance copy of this book.

This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:

Profile Image for Annie .
2,503 reviews941 followers
January 28, 2013
Posted on Under the Covers

Ruthie Knox is one of my go-to authors for Contemporary Romance. Her words manage to transport you into another place where her wit, charm and ability to coax readers into falling in love each and every time you pick up one of her books, has made me a loyal fan.
HOW TO MISBEHAVE is the first foray into her new series called Camelot. Readers are introduced to a cautious program director for the Camelot community center. In the midst of a tornado, Amber Clark and the sexy hero, Tony Mazzara the building’s contractor are stuck together in the basement as they wait out the storm. Such close proximity forces both of them to reveal secrets about themselves that open up a new avenue for a possibly relationship.

Ruthie Knox has a knack of bringing two different people together and making them fall in love. One of the great things about her books is that she spends a lot of time making sure that the romance is shining and polished to perfection. It’s easy to fall in love just as the characters do when the author works hard to make sure the romance goes deeper becomes more emotional. It makes for a more belieavable relationship.

Although not my favorite Ruthie Knox story, HOW TO MISBEHAVE is a story that readers will need to check out. Sexy, with a touch of sophistication and fun and you’ve got a great start to a new series! I’m very much looking forward to reading ALONG CAME TROUBLE, book 2 in the series.

*ARC provided by publisher
Profile Image for Sunny.
1,448 reviews
January 6, 2013
Full review now posted on: http://loveaffairwithanereader.blogsp...

4.5 hot little stars. Ruthie Knox serves up this perfect little amuse-bouche to start her Camelot series about the Clark family. This story is emotionally rich, with spicy sexual notes, and more than a dash of humor. Despite the fact that it is merely a "little taste", the Ms. Knox manages to get surprising depth with her characters.

Amber Clark is a "good girl" and Tony Mazzara has a reputation for being a bad boy. He is misunderstood, wounded and carries a certain "rep" around town. Simply irresistible, right? Mother Nature brings them together during a storm in the basement of the Community Center and they have to ride out the tempest.

This story is more raw that Ms. Knox's previous works. Amber is a little sheltered, a little naive, her previous experiences with sex are less than stellar, and Tony is teaching her to let-go, articulate her wants: "Tell me what you like," he said. "That's how we get good at this." He helps in her sexual discover and it is hot. She helps him forgive himself after a family tragedy leaves him agonizing over his reckless behavior. She helps him find his second chance.

My one critique is that I needed more of Tony and Amber! I loved this story and am looking forward to reading the series most especially Caleb's story. I can already feel a crush coming on...

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this little diddy.
Profile Image for figuranta❤️addicted❤️to❤️books❤️.
760 reviews74 followers
May 16, 2013
3 stars

How to Misbehave is the first book in Camelot series and i have to say that i wasn't very impressed with it.

The blurb

As program director for the Camelot Community Center, Amber Clark knows how to keep her cool. That is, until a sudden tornado warning forces her to take shelter in a darkened basement with a hunk of man whose sex appeal green lights her every fantasy. With a voice that would melt chocolate, he asks her if she is okay. Now she's hot all over and wondering: How does a girl make a move?

Building contractor Tony Mazzara was just looking to escape nature's fury. Instead, he finds himself all tangled up with lovely Amber. Sweet and sexy, she's ready to unleash her wild side. Their mutual desire reaches a fever pitch and creates a storm of its own--unexpected, powerful, and unforgettable. But is it bigger than Tony can handle? Can he let go of painful memories and let the force of this remarkable woman show him a future he never dreamed existed?

Ruthie Knox it's a fairly good writer and i enjoyed and loved her previous books but that wasn't the case for this one as well.

I loved the first 75% of the book, how well the book was written and how good the story was for a novella. But i have to say the end of the book was a DISASTER. Why are they doing this?? Why ruin the end of a good after you build the story so nicely?

I understand perfectly that this was a Novella but at the end the story developed way to quick for my liking.

Review posted at http://romanceisoursecretpleasure.blo...
Profile Image for Autumn Review.
1,023 reviews524 followers
December 18, 2012
Since this was a novella, it didn't take long to read. I felt like How to Misbehave was a great introduction into the Clark family. It was fun, flirty, and definitely sexy.

Amber Clark is the oldest of the Clark siblings and somewhat reserved and definitely not all that experienced with men. She works at a community center, where she meets Tony. Tony is at the center working on some renovations. He's smokin hot and gives off a bit of a bad boy vibe. Surprisingly, even though this was a novella, I felt like I really got to know the characters. They were a bit more complex than I originally assumed. Tony has a scarred past and doesn't really think he's worthy of being loved. Then you have Amber with her insecurities and it was a miracle these two got together at all. Once they did though....wow. They are really a sweet couple together. I can't wait to see how their relationship grows throughout the series.

Overall, this novella packed a pretty strong punch to the panties and the heart. The characters were likable, the sex was explosive, and there was a lot of great humor. To me, that the perfect recipe for a great read. I have Along Came Trouble coming up for review soon as well. It's the second book in the series, but will be a full length novel and is scheduled to release in March 2013. Make sure to check this one out!
Profile Image for Thenia.
4,388 reviews180 followers
May 14, 2019
Amber has had a crush on Tony, one of the contractors working at the Community Center where she works, since she first saw him, but she's too reserved and the two haven't even exchanged a word.

Tony has noticed Amber too and finds her intriguing, but he's still struggling with trauma from his past that has him believing that he doesn't deserve happiness.

When the two of them get stuck alone together during a tornado warning things between them change, bringing them closer and eventually making them both better versions of themselves.

Short and sweet with surprising depth for a novella. I am looking forward to reading more of the author's work, including the next book in this series, Along Came Trouble.
Profile Image for Charlotte Stein.
Author 110 books2,050 followers
December 31, 2012
I was lucky enough to read this way early, which makes it one of my favourite books of this year. Even though it's released next year. It'll probably be one of my fave books of next year, too, however, so I'm not unduly worried about this confusion.

Wildly sexy with my favourite of all Ruthie's heroes...intense, delicious, full of squirmy moments and sharp moments. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts, too. Easily my favourite of all Ruthie's books - I think because it speaks to me in some fundamental way. I have a deep weakness for insular, one-on-one books like this that focus on the couple to the detriment of everything else, and this book really flagged that weakness up for me. I love obsessive whirlwinds, and this felt like an obsessive whirlwind.

Fantastic read. Such a versatile, incredibly skilled writer.
Profile Image for Jill.
825 reviews136 followers
April 17, 2013
This was my very first Ruthie Knox book and even though it was a shorty, it was a goody :)
I actually purchased this one because I received Along Came Trouble from Netgalley, it is the second in the series, so I thought I would start from the beginning.

Amber and Tony's story is a short, steamy and sweet one. I liked Amber's spunk, even though she was a bit innocent, she didn't take any shit from anyone. I love a character like that.
Tony...his back story was a lot heartbreaking and I am seriously hoping we get to see a bit more of his brothers and sisters (catholic family !!hahahah) in the rest of the series.
Even though it was a novella it was very well developed, it didn't feel rushed. The conversations between the characters seemed genuine and I enjoyed the flow.
Great start for a first time read of this author. Will definitely be looking into more of her stuff in the future.
Profile Image for Carisa.
405 reviews
August 1, 2013
This novella is about the start of a relationship but it’s a stand alone as future stories are about heroine’s siblings. I liked author’s style, dialog, and hero –who is adorably cute.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/erotic
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGTH: 110 pages
Profile Image for Yvonne.
969 reviews82 followers
February 7, 2017
I love Ruthie Knox!
She sure does pack a steamy punch in a novella!
Profile Image for Mela.
1,958 reviews258 followers
February 21, 2025
Well, I don't expect in such short stories and (often) in Ruthie Knox's romances that they would be complex, and fully believable. But I expect from the author fun, and sexy heroes - and so far I got it.

[2.5-3 stars]
Profile Image for Rebekah Weatherspoon.
Author 33 books2,939 followers
August 4, 2013
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i don't really know how I feel about this because there was literally one bit at the beginning that almost made me DNF like a champ. the writing was good. Tony was good. Amber was... goodish.

here's the thing though, when i got to this: "Even before college, her faith in God and goodness had started to fray, and the summer break she spent in the slums outside Cape Town doing charity work with a group of Nazarene students left it in tatters"... "God wasn't watching. There might be a God, or there might not - she hasn't made up her mind about that. But she'd seen enough dire poverty and need in South Africa to shake her out of her complacence." i almost threw my phone out the window.

as a reader, this turned Amber into that person who has no concept of how shitty this kind of white savior bullshit is. this turned Amber into the type of woman who tries to explain to me she knows how hard it is to be black cause she spent a summer in a South African slum and it was sooooooo hard. this made me side-eye Amber so hard. i was just sitting there thinking, don't blame God. BLAME THE DUTCH! BLAME EUROPEAN GREED! i can't begin to even unpack Africa and white savior complexes and a bunch of other shit that has me rubbing my forehead in a goodreads review.

i don't expect every one to be hip to global race relations. i really don't. i am most of the time i'm okay (as in ive come to terms, sort of) with the fact that romancelandia is overwhelmingly white, but i would honestly authors left this type of shit out. seriously. this story is so short, and her faith is actually not a crucial part to their relationship development at all, this seemed so unnecessary. so yeah, this is more like a 2.5. it could have been a 5.
Profile Image for Jane Stewart.
2,462 reviews952 followers
March 15, 2013
A novella and therefore too short and not enough development, but it was a nice story - with erotic sex.

Characters were nicely done. He’s doing remodeling at her place of work which is how they meet. A tornado puts them together in the basement for awhile. The conversations and anticipation as they get to know each other was good. The one detailed sex scene was a little too long for me.

I’m not a fan of novellas. This one stopped too soon. After years of avoiding relationships, Tony has one night of sex with Amber, and that’s enough to want to move in together? It needed more time and development. But overall it was enjoyable.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length 1,546 (909 KB includes extras at the end) 121 pages estimated. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 1 long, 3 partial-short. Setting: 1999 Camelot, Ohio. Copyright: 2013. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
Profile Image for (✿◠‿◠).
773 reviews
December 28, 2012
4.5 stars

This short little piece had everything I've come to expect from Ruthie's work: hot, swoony guy, excellent snark and banter, strong heroine, and hot as hell sex. She definitely started this series off with a bang, and I can't wait to read more about these characters.
Profile Image for Joy.
638 reviews79 followers
July 19, 2013
Hate to be odd man out on this one--I liked Tony but really had a problem with Amber--I normally like short stories but this one just didn't do it for me
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