Review: Cake by Lauren Dane

She won't be satisfied with just one bite….

Art student-slash-bike messenger Wren Davis pursues what she wants. And what she wants now is Gregori Ivanov, rock star of the Seattle art scene. With his tattoos, piercings and sensual sneer, Gregori is the ultimate bad boy. Wren's gotten to know the man beneath the body art, too—and it only makes her crave him more.

But Gregori loves women like he loves cake and champagne—intensely, but only for the moment. And after Wren experiences just how scorching sex with Gregori is, she's determined to show him that just one taste won't be enough….

Cake has all the elements I typically expect from a Lauren Dane romance:  sexual tension, a heroine with serious confidence, a gritty, prickly hero.   Yet despite knowing this going in, I didn't love Cake as much as I thought I would. 

Wren is an art student with a messenger job, so she gets to flirt with Gregori Ivanov from time to time as she delivers documents to him.  She knows what she wants -- both professionally and personally -- and she's confident enough make her success happen. 

Gregori is an artist with an attitude.  At least that's the persona he projects in public.  Wren, however, gets him; she sees him where he's most comfortable and real.  But Gregori has female issues, specifically his crazy ex-wife, and he doesn't want Wren to be hurt.  

As I read, I thought Cake should have been retitled to Sweet.  Both Wren and Gregori crave sweets, and Gregori always has cookies lying around the kitchen, which he uses to tempt Wren into staying longer on her deliveries.  A trivial matter perhaps, but I only recall them sharing cake once, yet they eat cookies together all the time.  Is cake somehow more significant than cookies?

Wren is certainly the more aggressive of the two.  She tells Gregori like she sees it and deals with whatever fall-out happens from there.  I wanted to get to know Gregori more to understand exactly what makes him so attractive to Wren (besides his physical appearance and artistic skills). 

(A very special thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Cake.)