Naughty by Nature by Addison Moore | Rating: ★★☆☆☆

How do I write a review of this one without sounding dull or mean? Cheesy cover aside, Naughty by Nature is neither the cheesiest nor the worst romance novel I've read in recent weeks. Addison Moore manages to weave and craft a series of sexual tension that will leave fans groveling at her feet, begging for more. More Moore. Ha-ha-ha... oops. I'm procrastinating and getting off topic already.

Let's just start with the basics: two former best friends, one a moderate good girl, who has been away from her home-town for years, the other a stereotypical and definite bad boy (hullo, man-whore extraordinaire!) who decide to pair up and plan the ultimate prank against their mother's. For all their lives, Jax and Poppy have dealt with their fair share of embarrassment from the dynamic duo that is their mother's, who happen to be best friends, and upon Poppy's return they stir up plans to give the pair a taste of their own medicine. Only, things don't go according to plan and it just may be that these two former friends have bitten off more than they can chew.

Family dynamics are prominent in this one. You're not going to like everyone at first glance and that is a good thing. As far as fleshing out the characters goes, this is Moore's biggest source of praise. Her characters are flawed and developed to a certain degree. For the most part, there's a blatant archetype to everyone.


Overprotective siblings. Overbearing mothers. Former best friends who are in love but not together. Secrets. Blah-blah-blah. I think the most interesting thing about Naughty by Nature was seeing the mother's (they are unbearable: pranking your kids is one thing but I do think there should be a line to not cross) desire to see Jax and Poppy together right from the start. The funniest scene, mid-book, is when one of the mother's walks in on a compromising position and it's just hilarious.


You know how it is about best-friend's who stick together through marriages and the births of their children. If they are close enough, if their children are close enough in age, they automatically assume their kids--too--are fated to be friends for life or soulmates. Poppy and Jax, for a while, did have the friendship we all search for. I loved the jokes--those references--to Lizzie and Gordon; it is right up my lane as far as pop culture references go and I do love a good old nostalgia fest.

What annoyed me about Naughty by Nature was the way things progressed. It seemed too quick and too slow. Too little and too much. Beyond this, it felt like I'd read it before. Even if I hadn't there was this sense of familiarity to everything that made it all about... dull. Addison Moore has a way with a good old fashioned sex scene and if that's the only thing you are searching for in this book, you're going to be happy with it.

Because that's where it succeeds the most. This and a resolution of where Jax and Poppy's prank takes them. You do get answers on what caused their friendship to explode all over the place. For me, the way the story unfolded just could have been more and less cliche. I didn't hate it and found myself reading it quickly but it just wasn't enough for me to say, hey, I loved this. Naughty by Nature was a fast, beach read with a distinct lack of substance and ultimately didn't do much for me.

However, romance fans just looking for a wild ride will enjoy this so long as they don't take it seriously. Addison Moore's writing is delectable at the end of the day and will certainly add some spice to your reading list.