I have to admit, I really enjoyed the start of the story until Lola went to the sex club and then I got a bit bored with it all:

Guessing it just wasn’t for me, I liked the characters, liked the romance and friendship between them all but was bored stiff at the erotica, just didn’t do it for me.

This is a unique take on a BDSM romance. Lola is new to Chicago and looking to get back into the BDSM scene after taking a break. As she joins the club, she meets Simon, a Dom looking for the ideal sub for a relationship. The only problem? Lola is a switch - and even though she bottoms, she doesn't "do" submissive. She's feisty and likes to fight back.

I loved the overall story arc and the chemistry between the characters, and the unique take on a D/s relationship was fun to read. My only issue was that although I appreciated that BDSM was represented in an accurate way, with safewords and consent and everything it should have, at some times the descriptions felt a little too "procedural" for me - too many long descriptions of the scenes detracted from the momentum a bit. But I'd take accurate BDSM rep before a 100% smooth story any day.

Thanks to the ARC team for an advance copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hannah Murray for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and easy read. I liked Lola a lot, she’s confident, sharp, and brings a lot of energy to the story. There’s good chemistry, some funny moments, and BDSM.

That said, I didn’t connect with this one quite as much as I’d hoped. The pacing felt a bit uneven, and while there is spice, I expected a little more heat (especially with the BDSM setup). And yes, the needle play was a bold choice, not really my thing, but I can appreciate the author trying to spotlight less common kinks in a respectful way. Also, some of the choices made along the way had me raising an eyebrow (or two).

Still, I had a good time with it, and I’d definitely recommend reading it for yourself to get your own impressions, especially if you liked the first book or like a BDSM twist.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to a review copy.

In the follow up to Snow Bownd (Anna and Grant and their wedding are characters in Whatever Lola Wants) we get Lola and Simon's story. I think it is no surprise to anyone who read Snow Bound that there would be a Lola and Simon story.

I love Lola and Simon grew on me - in spite os being sense and slow to figure things out. I don't think this is quite as strong a romance as Snow Bound due to the amount of time spent explaining Lola being a switch and how that fits into consent and standards within the BDSM world. Once in a while I find Hannah Murray spends more time on being explicit about consent than being explicit. That is hyperbole - but it is how I think of some of her work. Needle play and anything with blood isn't really my thing so that also impacts my comparison.

This is a super fun read and I think Lola and Simon are a lot fun to see working things out.

First and foremost I want to say that I was absolutely thrilled when I saw an email from Hannah Murray's team with this ARC and also Net Galley kindly sharing a copy of this. As this is a continuation of the Odyssey Trilogy, I could not wait to dive back in this world, especially when I love the first book so much.

I am going to sum up this whole book as an easy spicy read, perfect if you are in a reading slump and you wish some easy read where there are no high stakes and it is also quite short. It does contain some BDSM scenes, therefore if this is not the right spice for you, then this book might not be the perfect for you. I will also summarise my final thoughts below:

Things I liked
- That the type of BDSM play was different than the first book. I liked that the author was exploring new scenes and play amongst the characters, which was something that I learned for the first time as well.
- I liked Simon and Lola, they were both very cute. I like the fire-y side of Lola, and also liked that she was a switch, again something that I never knew was a thing. I did like that she was different and I liked that Simon liked her for it and was ready to adjust his play to make both of them happy.
- I liked that the second book introduces the new character Ginger, and i cannot wait her 3rd book.
- I was happy that the 2nd book included Anna and Grant's wedding.
- I did not mind the third person storytelling, because if it was only first person and Lola (like the first book Anna) we would be missing a good chunk of information for Simon, so I felt okay with it, as when you start reading it did not bother me. However what bothers me is that the trilogy will not all be same POV, I think it would have been better if it was dual 1st person POV instead.

Things I did not like
- Personally I did not enjoy the needle play, it was interesting to learn about it, but did not find it very exciting or thrilling, not because I am personally scared of needles, but I simply associate them with a great deal of pain rather than pleasure.
- I did not like the amount of spicy scenes, somehow I felt the first book either had more or they were longer. I feel like this book tried to have more plot alongside the characters and how their relationship was developing rather than spicy scenes, which is not a terrible thing, but I simply expected more spice following the 1st book.
- I felt like I wanted the plot of the book to be more about situations about Lola and Simon rather than the wedding. I feel like the wedding was featured too much, where it was taking away form the focus of Simon and Lola.
- This is minor and not sure if worth mentioning, as this is an ARC, but it had some spelling mistakes, and there were a few moments where I feel like chunks of information was missing, for example when they were referencing some baseball game.
- I feel like there was some repetitive scenes and actions, like eating, watching movies etc, which sometimes were preventing the good flow of the rhythm I think.

All in all, initially I was ready to give this book 2 starts, as it feel so much different than the 1st one which was almost perfect little escape, but I have to give credit to the author for trying something new and exploring different ideas and writing styles even if those do not pick everyone's fancy. I gave it 3 starts because I liked the ending chapters. I cannot wait for the final instalment of this trilogy.

The review below is already posted on Goodreads and additionally will be posted on amazon on July 22nd when it is released.

The book Whatever Lola Wants is exceptionally good. I liked the first in the series a little better but that was a personal preference due to the activities that occurred in one scene of this book. However, the trigger warnings were very clear and I knew it would not be my favorite part. Aside from that it was an addicting read and I could not put it down. I can't wait to see how the next one connects to this one in hopes of getting a little bit more of their end. If you liked the Salacious Players Club books then this series is perfect.

Quick Read. Maybe mislabeled.
Not very spicy.
Unfortunately a miss for me. It goes nowhere, fast.
Wasn't very interesting to me.

What happens when what you want isn’t the same as who you want?

Meet Lola, an incredibly feisty switch with a mouth on her who knows exactly what she wants. Until she runs into Simon. Their chemistry is fire, but they both want different things, the most important of which is he’s committed to finding a permanent D/s relationship while she is… not. It’s not who she is and she has no plans to change.

The author has clearly done extensive BDSM research and safe play protocols and kinks are very well conveyed. There are also SO many laugh out loud moments. Writing humor as well as you write play scenes is a gift. There’s emotional depth, a third act breakup and engaging side characters.

This is second in a series but can be read on its own (although I highly recommend the first book as well!). I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one (Ginger and Michael?!?).

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Three and a half stars.

After reading Snowed In, the first book in this series, I was excited to read this one. And I had a lot of fun.

Lola is a switch, though we only get to see her top once, and Simon is looking for a submissive, but they keep coming together.

I liked Lola being an escape artist, and the competitive/combative element of their scenes. There was fun banter and caretaking as well.

But Simon is kind of a dick - emotionally it takes him a long time to realize what he wants, and the end of the book has him making some physical choices with regard to Lola that are questionable (even though you feel she could still safe word out and there are people nearby).

A pretty quick read, slightly less spicy than the first, with an intro to the pairing for the third (which I am looking forward to!).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was okay, I had a great time for most of the book. To be honest I expected it to be kinkier, except for the whole needle kink, the other spicy scenes were ok but I expected more from the premises. I liked the characters and their relationship but since it was more focused on the BDSM aspect of the story, the romance connection was a bit lacking. I didn’t like the third act breakup and the reasons behind it, it was unnecessary and made me mad lol.
overall it was entertaining.

It an easy quick read. I haven’t read the first book in this series. I expected a little more spicy cause it was a bdsm.I wanted to have a little more in the way of character development and their connection. I did appreciate some of the humor throughout the book.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

After reading Snow Bound and loving it I was excited to jump into book 2 of the Odyssey series. Usually Hannah Murray doesn’t miss her mark with her spicy novellas but unfortunately I just didn’t love this one as much as the first. It had its moments but for being just under 200 pages, the majority of the book I found myself kinda bored while reading it. Also, I think 3rd person narration should be left to fairytales, not smutty novellas. Just my thoughts.

Thank you, NetGalley for an e-ARC of What Lola Wants. I’ll gladly take any and every ARC you throw at me.

2.5 stars.
it was a quick read. i found it so boring and it wasnt that spicy. i expected more cause it was a bdsm.
other than sex there wasnt much of a connection. also it was written in 3rd person :(
the only reason its 2.5 stars is cause she was giving him a blowjob, naked with her hands behind his back and her friend walked in, thought she was being attacked and stun guned him.