Smooth Talking Stranger (Travises, #3) in Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group

Aug 13, 2008 Auntee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-romance, lisa-kleypas, 2011_reads, husband-worthy_hero, part-of-a-series

No summary, just some thoughts...

Ohhh, where do I begin? All my GR friends said "wait until you get to Jack's book"...and you all were right! I adored milionaire playboy Jack Travis--he was absolute perfection! To tell you the truth, I thought it might take a while for him to win me over, since I expected him to be sort of a shallow man-slut. I was surprised that he put that all behind him and was ready for something different when he met advice columnist Ella. I wish I knew what it was exactly No summary, just some thoughts...

Ohhh, where do I begin? All my GR friends said "wait until you get to Jack's book"...and you all were right! I adored milionaire playboy Jack Travis--he was absolute perfection! To tell you the truth, I thought it might take a while for him to win me over, since I expected him to be sort of a shallow man-slut. I was surprised that he put that all behind him and was ready for something different when he met advice columnist Ella. I wish I knew what it was exactly that made Ella so attractive to him (besides what he tells Ella--how he admires her for taking care of her sister's baby and how he likes arguing with her). This is where I really felt that dreaded first person POV--it didn't bother me most of the time but there were times where I was dying to get inside Jack's head! Sometimes words just aren't enough--I needed his thoughts too!

Just add some chest hair, and this could be Jack…

Ella didn't win me over right away--she sort of grew on me. She was a little too stubborn about some of her beliefs about love and marriage and a little too independent. I realize she had it rough as a child (what a winner that mother of hers was!) but I wanted her to really want Jack like I did! LOL! I loved seeing her fall in love with baby Luke though.. I thought all the parts LK wrote about Ella's feelings towards Luke really rang true. And when she finally gave the idea of having a real relationship with Jack a chance, that's when I softened towards her. I felt bad for her when she thought to herself I lose everyone I care about, sooner or later. No wonder she never wanted to put her heart on the line. I think Ella underwent a real transformation in this book, and became a much more likable and sympathetic character as the story progressed and she opened herself up and became more vulnerable.

I loved Ella and Jack together. I loved how he didn't push her beyond what she was ready for, but was there for her always. He was patient, strong, generous, and so darn sexy! Loved him with baby Luke too. Made me forget all about Hardy! And oh God the love scenes? Red hot, and way more numerous (and inventive) than in the previous books!

I have no real complaints about this book or series. Lisa Kleypas is probably one of the few authors skilled enough in her storytelling to make me forget (most of the time) that these stories were all told in the dreaded 1st person POV. I will admit that there were times where I thought how wonderful would it be if I knew what Jack was thinking...but that would just be like the cherry on top of the whipped cream. It would've made a delicious story even more delicious. So I won't complain, and I'll be satisfied that LK served up one fantastic story, a very likable couple, and especially one yummy hero. So he wasn't covered in whipped cream and with a cherry on top...Jack Travis was still one tasty treat! 5 stars
...more

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Oct 06, 2008 ♡Karlyn P♡ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2009, steam-hot, audiobook, genre-contemporary, published-2009, read-2010, top-100-favorites, re-read

A wonderful steamy romantic story with a great and satisfying ending. The title really suites too! Jack was such a smooth talker. Yum. As with the other books in the series, there is an underline storyline of personal growth and recovery, but these characters weren't so deeply damaged emotionally as the characters in the previous books. I loved the realistic feel of their relationship from the start. Thier growing together, and finally the realization they are meant for each other. I just starte ...more

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Jun 23, 2009 Sarah MacLean rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, romance

No Blue Eyed Devil...which continues to be my absolute favorite of the three...but really well done. This is not for romance readers who don't enjoy the "baby-as-plot-device" story...but those who do will love her modern take on it.

Even a not-my-favorite Lisa Kleypas gets five stars from me...she just does romance at such a high caliber. ...more

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Mar 03, 2010 Jenny Rebecca rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Before I give my review I have to state for the record that I was already biased against this book. And my reasons are this:

1: I don't like romance novels with babies in them. You give the heroine a child, especially a small one, and I immediately am annoyed. I work with children all day, I read romance novels to escape. I don't wanna read about no damn babies.

2: I didn't like the fact I had to wait a year to read this book. I know I could have paid 25 bucks for the hardcover, but my money tree ...more

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Sep 15, 2009 Anne OK rated it it was amazing

I have loved this latest contemporary series by Lisa Kleypas. Each book had a wonderful storyline and the characters came alive for me. But the third and final "Smooth Talking Stranger" was my favorite by far! ...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Mahlet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, audio, series

I'm not sure if this is the conclusion to the Travises' series, but if it was, it was pretty fantastic :) Jack Travis didn't spark my interest in the previous series installments...he just seemed like a rich man whore! But boy was he so much more. Sexy, charming, thoughtful and tender with babies :)

Ella and her younger sister survived a tough childhood with their crazy, selfish mother and her steady rotation of boyfriends, but not without scars. Ella's younger sister, a victim of sexual abuse, s I'm not sure if this is the conclusion to the Travises' series, but if it was, it was pretty fantastic :) Jack Travis didn't spark my interest in the previous series installments...he just seemed like a rich man whore! But boy was he so much more. Sexy, charming, thoughtful and tender with babies :)

Ella and her younger sister survived a tough childhood with their crazy, selfish mother and her steady rotation of boyfriends, but not without scars. Ella's younger sister, a victim of sexual abuse, sleeps around and lives a wild life. Ella, on the other hand, writes a romance advice column, Miss Independant, but doesn't believe in marriage herself (how can you promise yourself to someone forever?) and has a free-spirited boyfriend who feels the same way. Ella still feels guilty about getting the hell out of dodge when she was old enough, and leaving her little sister behind with her unstable mother. So when kid sister drops her new baby on her mother and disappears, Ella steps in to take care of the newborn, baby Luke, and track down the father for support. Ella's mother wants NOTHING to do with the baby...she can't have her boyfriend know she's a grandmother, right? *groan* This woman was just despicable. Author Lisa Kleypas has a knack for creating memorable characters, good and bad. I'll never forget the abusive husband in Blue-Eyed Devil (#2), and I feel the same way about Ella's mother.

Ella begins her search for Luke's father with Jack Travis, the only lead she has. They meet early on in the story *yay!* and he gets right to business with his seduction :) Although she shares an apartment with her boyfriend Dane in Austin, he wants absolutely nothing to do with the baby. Jack steps in immediately, and sets up Ella and Luke in a posh hotel room and then eventually, an apartment in Houston. They share meals together, he plays with baby Luke - Jack is just so wonderful. He makes no apologies for his wild sexual past, but explains that he learned something from every lover - all to make him more adept of giving her pleasure! There was only one TSTL moment with Ella when I thought it was clear she needed to dump her boyfriend and she didn't.

I loved the emotional conflict in this one, with Jack trying to break down Ella's defenses. He knows how he feels for her early on, but he hides his feelings for fear of scaring her off. He's an extremely sexy, capable lover (Yes, this is Lisa Kleypas, but it was still very hot)...but yet he's soooo good with baby Luke it will melt your heart. Jack Travis is basically everything Ella's boyfriend Dane isn't. In edition to Ella and Jack, you get to revisit with the couples from books 1 & 2 . There's one more single Travis man who suffers some hardship in this book. I've got my fingers crossed for one more book! ...more

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Sep 18, 2011 NatalyaVqs rated it liked it

Least favorite of the series, since it does seem to drag on a bit about the same thing, with lots of sex incidentally. Its well written, however, in fluid elegant language with lots of descriptors, so it was worth sticking with, especially since it does get good and emotional towards the end. Jack is just a bit too perfect, and the way Ella is described, I couldn't understand the source of his immediate obsession with her. The story is very sweet though. Mom a great character, what a complete ni ...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favs

I know I say this with every LK book that o read but man can she write. STS has now become my favorite LK book and Jack my favorite hero. He is amazing. I truly cannot gush enough about this book. What was different about thus Travis book was that Jack and Ella met at the very beginning so the whole book was their story and not just Ella's. And I just knew that when Jack asked Ella to marry him when they were putting the crib together, that he meant it. Ack. And when Jack got upset about Dane st ...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Liz B rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, contemporaryrealisticfiction

Sugar Daddy was pretty tiresome, so I was planning to give this one 50 pages to get good--to my surprise, I sped through it. There was nothing in this that stood out particularly, but "memorable" is not really what I'm looking for in a romance novel (although I love it when I find it). Still, it was a fun enough read that I might go back and read Kleypas's second contemporary. ...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Meredith Barrons rated it it was amazing

I wish there were more books in this series! I love those Travis boys!!!!

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May 05, 2010 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, chicklit, across-the-tracks, 1st-pov, rich-as-midas, tortured-tormented

The third book in the Travises series by Lisa Kleypas and Jack Travis' story. Jack finds out he is a father by the child's aunt. I guess this was my favorite of the three but I'm still not a fan of chick lit. ...more

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