The City So Nice, They Named It Twice

Hello from New York City!  Rosie and I made it to the Big Apple relatively unscathed.  She forgot her Kindle (OMG!!!!) and My Man got himself in a car accident on his way back home after dropping me off at the airport.  The good news is that Rosie has something else to read, and My Man escaped the accident unharmed.  His car?  Uh, another story entirely.  But needless to say I spent most of yesterday worried out of my mind about him.

After all that excitement, I was greeted at JFK by my limo driver.  Yes, limo driver.  Apparently being Librarian of the Year makes me pretty hot stuff!  It also means that I got my flippin' registration bag EARLY!  It was waiting for me upon check-in.  Behold!  That little blue flip dealie is actually book light, and I'm guessing the weird Harlequin pouch is some sort of eco-friendly water bottle?  But yeah, that's the swag.  In other news, the conference tote is very nice, as are the name badge holders.

After I got checked-in, Rosie and I met for a quick bite to eat and drink downstairs.  There we ran into Magdalen and SarahT (who had just arrived from Switzerland and boy was she jet-lagged!).  We had a nice nosh, a few drinks and lovely conversation.  Always good to chat with fellow bloggers and romance addicts.

When I got back upstairs, what did my little eyes spy?  Another goodie for being Queen Librarian of the Universe!  This lovely bottle of wine.  Which I couldn't drink because I'd already had my limit.  So I saved it for tonight, and I'm enjoying it now while typing this blog post.

Today was my one totally free day, so I was able to catch-up with my former college roommate, who lives in Queens, and who I haven't seen in 10+ years!  Patty was totally up for doing "tourist-y" stuff, so we made the trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We only did a few little parts of Ellis Island, because holy cow, my legs were jello by that point - but it was still a really great day.  Oh, and the tourists!  I told My Man, I know we live in California.  I mean, it's not like we live in White Bread, U.S.A. - but the international flavor of this city is really a trip.  I heard more languages spoken today then I think I have in my whole life.

After a nice healthy dinner of pizza and cheesecake, I'm back in my hotel room - soaking up the outrageously priced wifi and chillin' with my wine, Rosie, Nath, and Nathie's sister.  On tap for tomorrow?  Not sure yet.  I suspect Rosie and I might end up in Central Park, and then it's the first Blogger Bar Bash in the evening.  I'm going to do my best to blog every single day - and hopefully I won't do my usual RWA madness, which is blogging at 2AM (seriously, I've done that more than I care to admit).  I also plan on taking more pictures.  These are just a small sampling.  Want to see more?  Keep an eye on the special album I created on my Flickr account.

RWA Harlequin Tea, Romance At Random, Blogger Bar Bash, & General Insanity

Are you going to RWA?  Are you a book blogger?  Well here's your chance to hang out with some of the awesome-sauce folks with Harlequin!

Are you a book blogger going to the RWA conference in NYC? Harlequin wants to meet you! Join us for a Book Blogger Tea on Wednesday, June 29^th from 4:30-5:30 in the Times Square room at the conference hotel. Join us for tea & scones and ‘fascinating’ conversation! Fascinators, hand-made by the Digital team, will be provided to set the mood – or bring your own tea-party appropriate headgear.

Tea! Scones! Fancy fascinators!

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Publisher Random House has launched a new online community geared towards romance.  Unlike Macmillan's Heroes & Heartbreakers, which is publisher-neutral, Romance At Random appears to be Random House only (at first blush anyway - I still haven't fully explored the site!).  But hey, that's OK - because Random House has a slew of great authors, many fan favorites.  Also, this is appears to be a good place to visit if you're interested in the return of the Loveswept category line, which is being revived as a digital-only imprint.

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In even more RWA news, don't forget that there will be Blogger Bar Bashes on Monday and Tuesday evenings.  Gory details can be found in this previous blog post.  True to my word that if you can only stop by for a few minutes that you're still welcome - we'll see how long I hang out in the bar on Tuesday.  Apparently "Librarian Of The Year" is code for "Getting A Whole Bunch Of Invites."  One of which is Tuesday evening.  But we'll see how it goes.  Between Librarians Day (uh, where I'm presenting) and the Literacy Signing, I might be too pooped to leave the bar for anything other than sleep that evening.  Won't know until then.

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You'd think I'd be bouncing off the walls for this trip to New York City, but all I can think about is my monstrous to-do list and how long it still is.  People, I leave on Saturday.  Oh well.  My Man is probably right.  The list is totally do-able.  Just tackle it one thing at a time.  But it still means I'm hitting the ground running this evening and likely won't stop until I board my flight Saturday morning.

Which means dear blog readers, that this is it for now.  The next time you hear from me, I'll be on the East coast, hopefully happily sated from my first slice of real pizza in God knows how long.

Arabian Nights

Let's get this out of the way right up front: Yes, Innocent In The Sheikh's Harem by Marguerite Kaye is a very sensational title.  It conjures up all sorts of images, most of them not necessarily "good."  Although, technically, the title fits.  Our heroine is an innocent, and she does find herself living in a sheikh's harem.  But it's not what you think.....

Lady Celia Cleveden is the eldest of five daughters, her father a British diplomat.  Sadly, this doesn't make her a good catch.  She's not a beauty like her younger sister Cassandra.  While she is intelligent, calm, practical and forthright, she's not a woman that inspires passion.  So her father does what all good 19th century fathers do - he marries her off to a junior diplomat as a way to expand his influence.  And George takes Celia's hand because he'd be a fool, politically speaking, not to.  Besides, she's a hell of a hostess.  The perfect diplomat's wife.  Which is why, even though everybody thinks he's mad, George insists she travel with him to Arabia to secure access to a valuable shipping port.  For her part, Celia is all for it.  Our girl has an adventurous, curious spirit and the idea of exploring this mysterious part of the world excites her.

Of course it all slides south rather quickly.  After bandits attack, George ends up dead.  Celia is rescued from certain death (and worse) by Sheikh Ramiz al-Muhanna.  Wanting to size up the Englishman he was set to meet with, Ramiz was following (OK, spying) on the traveling party from a distance.  He's shocked to discover the man brought his wife.  But he quickly learns all he needs to know about Celia.  Her husband may be an idiot coward, but this woman most certainly is not.  After he rescues her, he doesn't have much of a choice.  He can't take her back to Cairo, as the attack on these visiting dignitaries was a message for him.  He needs to get home and sort things out with his war-hungry, squabbling neighbors.

Celia is naturally out of sorts.  She's grateful for Ramiz's rescue, but she's totally out of her depth.  He's taking her back to his palace, and then when she jumps to all the wrong conclusions, he tweaks her nose about staying in his harem (in reality, his harem is empty and nowhere near a bordello that the West thinks all harems are).  However she's also smart enough to see the writing on the wall.  If Ramiz wanted her dead, he would have left her to fend for herself.  Or he wouldn't have intervened in the attack at all.  She's sad about George, but it was no great love match.  They hadn't even consummated their union.  Three months married and she was never really a wife.  She was hoping for love in time, but his death makes her realize the cold, hard truth.  He didn't want a wife.  He saddled himself to her to further his career.  Is she really so unattractive that not even her husband wanted her?

What I loved about this story was the excellent sense of place and the type of characters Kaye populates this world with.  For readers who complain that "setting" has become nothing more than window dressing or wallpaper in historical romances - this is your book.  Kaye's depiction of Arabia is lush, hypnotic and sensual.  It's easy to understand how Celia is brought under it's spell, how her senses come alive in a world so unlike, yet surprisingly similar in some ways, to her native England.  It's almost like a fairytale.

For his part, Ramiz became the sheikh after his war-mongering brother was killed.  He's of the school of thought that diplomacy is the way to go, although convincing his old guard neighbors of this is proving difficult.  He's feeling the pressure to take a wife, but the idea of marrying one of the area princesses just to secure an alliance?  He's not wild about the idea.  Plus, he's frankly too busy to deal with females right now.  That is until he sets eyes on Celia.  He knows he should stay away from her, but he can't.  He takes one look at her, and immediately knows her husband was the stupidest man alive.  To show this woman pleasure?  Ahhh, how can he resist?

I rarely talk about sex when writing reviews, but in this case?  I think it's worth mentioning.  Harlequin Historicals, for a long time, lived in a PG-rated world.  In recent years, I'd say some of them have crept into PG-13 territory.  But this story?  Probably the hottest HH title I've ever read.  OK, so I haven't read the entire backlist of the line, but seriously - hot stuff.  I suspect it's a by-product of Kaye writing several short stories for the spicier Undone line, and that naturally bleeds over into this, her first full-length novel.  When the couple partakes in an activity named after a double-digit number?  Um, yeah.  This ain't your mama's Harlequin Historical title.  Just sayin'.

When it's all said and done, what really worked for me, besides the evocative backdrop, were the characters themselves.  I loved that Ramiz acted like an autocratic sheikh at times, but he wasn't an asshole.  I loved that Celia behaved like one would think someone with her diplomatic background would behave.  I also loved that she wasn't prone to hysterics, but she also wasn't above feeling uncertain, or even a little scared at times when the situation called for it.  The ending did feel a little abrupt to me, but I loved the fact that the hero ends up realizing the error of his own ways, without the aid of a well-meaning third party, BFF, or whomever to show him the light.

I know some readers are never going to go out on that sheikh limb no matter what anyone says, but this historical has so much of what some readers seem to be clamoring for at the moment.  Like Celia, I found myself falling more than a bit in love with this world.  I can't wait to read the next book, The Governess And The Sheik. 

Final Grade = B

Digital Review: Portrait Of Seduction

Never have titles been more fitting than in Carrie Lofty's series for Carina Press.  First with Song Of Seduction, and now this latest release, Portrait of Seduction - that's exactly what the author does.  She seduces the reader with her stories.

Greta Zwieg started forging paintings because of Napoleon.  All of Salzburg is in a constant state of worry, and people are determined to protect their valuables.  So while Greta's fakes hang on the walls, the real masterpieces are safely tucked away.  However, quite by accident, Greta soon learns that her uncle is passing her fakes off as the real deal, and selling them to unsuspecting buyers!  She is horrified by this deceit, but as a single woman, a poor relation at that, she does not have the power to stand up to him - the man who gave her a home after her parents both died tragic deaths.

Oliver Doerger is living a lie.  Born a bastard, this former military man is posing as a valet for his aristocratic half-brother and playing spy.  Uncertain times have led Oliver into this life.  His brother needs him.  His country needs him.  Then a dramatic night at the opera puts him in the path of Greta Zwieg.  Even as they both intellectually know that no good can come of their attraction, they succumb anyway.  She's a well-born lady with a dangerous secret and vile uncle.  He's a not-so-well-born "servant" with a dangerous secret. This love affair should have doomed ending written all over it - but, of course, since it is a romance novel, it happily does not.

What I love about Lofty's historicals is that she never flat-out ignores the history.  She uses that history, bends it a bit, and spins her characters into people that very possibly could have existed in real life.  Greta, while a smart woman, has no real power.  She's completely under the thumb of her uncle, and haunted by what happened to her parents.  Defying her uncle is not an option.  At least not an option if she wants to stay safe.  For a woman in the early 19th century, safety was a very important thing indeed.

Oliver is a good man, a solid man, a man who would make any woman in the appropriate class a good husband.  But Greta is not in his class.  She's so far out of his league he might as well be standing on the moon.  Even though he is masquerading as a valet, he's still a bastard.  Period.  End of story.  So while he's horribly tempted by Greta, and dangerously attracted to her, he knows (and she knows!) that nothing good can ever come of it.  Of course, does this stop them?  Uh, no.

If I had to describe this novel is one word it would be passionate.  With Song of Seduction, that passion expressed itself through the music.  With Portrait of Seduction, that passion plays out in the utter need and want that sizzles between the couple.  Lush, seductive, these two people are burning for each other - even as they know, intellectually, that their passion will destroy them.  There is a reason that writers and storytellers have been exploring themes of forbidden love for thousands of years.  When the story works, it captivates quite like nothing else.

In many ways, I felt this was a tremendously strong story.  I did, at times, find myself frustrated with the characters - especially Greta who, at times, was a little insensitive.  However, to be fair, this insensitivity fits perfectly into the type of woman she is, the time period she inhabits, and the difference in station from Oliver.  Still, when she did do, or say something, that hurt his feelings, I had that urge to reach through the mechanical cogs of my Sony Reader and happily slap her simple.

Still, it's to the author's credit that she makes it all work without throwing the historical baby out with the bath water.  A large reason why it works is because she smartly sets this story during the chaotic time of the Napoleonic Wars.  I was lost, swept away by the magic the author weaves, and invested in this romance that should have had tragic overtones, but never, ever did.  The passion, the threat of war, the uncertainty, the angst - I positively wallowed in it.  It's a big, sweeping, dramatic story that hearkens back to a time when historical romance meant grand passion smartly displayed against a backdrop of compelling historical detail.  Don't miss it.

Grade = B+

Note: This title is available from Carina Press and at other fine e-retailers.

The Month That Was May 2011

Lemon Drop: I'm all ready to go Auntie Wendy!

Me: Um, I see that.  Pray tell, where are you going?

Lemon Drop: To New York City, of course!

Me: Oh really?  And why are you going to NYC?

Lemon Drop: ::eyeroll:: Seriously, Auntie Wendy?  To go to RWA! 

Me: Oh really?!?!  Uh, let's table this discussion for now.  I want to tell you all about what I read last month.  After slogging through a slump in April, I was able to break out somewhat in May.  I finished 6 books! 

Click on title links for full reviews

Defiant by Kris Kennedy, Historical medieval romance, Pocket, 2011, Grade = B-

• Hero and heroine both searching for the same missing priest, find themselves embroiled in political turmoil in King John's England.  A medieval that's pretty heavy on the "medieval stuff," and a romance that requires some reader patience as the hero and heroine are at cross purposes.  But a strong historical with some actual history.  Should appeal to those readers who like big, meaty history-filled historicals.

Wife For A Week by Kelly Hunter, Contemporary romance, Harlequin Presents, 2007, Grade = C+

• Lying about being married when his host's naive, sheltered daughter throws herself at him, the hero now must return to Hong Kong to close the business deal.  The fly in the ointment?  He's to bring along the little woman.  Enter the heroine, who needs money for her back-to-school fund.  Lovely bantering dialogue and an evocative Hong Kong setting.  Unfortunately a tacked-on, silly suspense thread during the second half takes off some of the shine.  Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Cash Strapped Heroine, Mogul Hero, Pretend Marriage, Virgin Ahoy!

Honeymoon With The Rancher by Donna Alward, Contemporary romance, Harlequin Romance, 2011, Grade = B

• After catching her fiance' in bed with his mistress, jilted heroine takes her honeymoon to Argentina alone.  She's in for a surprise though when she gets rustic instead of Club Med, and the surly hero can find no record of her reservation.  A story heavy on internal conflict featuring a hero with major baggage and a heroine who has lost her way.  Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Jilted Heroine, Wounded Hero, Big Secret, Virgin Ahoy!, Mmmm Cowboy!

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran, Historical fiction, Crown, 2011, Grade = A

• The story of Madame Tussaud (of wax museum fame) and her life in late 18th century Paris - before she was Madame Tussaud, and on the eve of the French Revolution.  A compelling, white-knuckle read that sucks the reader into the uncertainty, chaos, and terror in a turbulent time in French history.  Also, a compelling story of a remarkable woman, who was ahead of her time.

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin, Young Adult crime noir, Little Brown, 2011, Grade = B+

• A hard-boiled crime novel dropped into a YA world.  Gumshoe hero finds himself investigating a murder (or was it?) in a corrupt high school that has more graft than Prohibition Era Chicago.  Fast-talkin' slang, a fair amount of violence, and the depiction of teen characters will probably horrify parents who don't "get" it.  But for crime fiction fans and teens who pilfered granddad's Mickey Spillane novels?  Great stuff.

My Favorite Countess by Vanessa Kelly, Historical Regency romance, Zebra, 2011, Grade = B-

• Villianous other woman from previous book gets her own romance, with a suitably unsuitable doctor hero.  Loved the non-Duke hero and the rough-around-the-edges (OK, I'll just say it - bitchy) heroine.

Me: Sweetie, I'm sorry - but you can't come to RWA with me.

Lemon Drop: Mommy told me you might say that.  I mean, I know you're Librarian Of The Year and all, but haven't you wondered exactly why you got that award?

Me: Um, I was operating under the assumption of group brain trauma.  Apparently not?

Lemon Drop: I can't believe you don't see it.  You go to RWA last year in Orlando.  After that you start featuring me on this blog.  People like me.  They ask you on Twitter, "How's Lemon Drop?" or "When do I get to see Lemon Drop again?"  Coincidence?  I think not!

Me: Ahhh, it's all becoming clear to me now. 

Lemon Drop: Mommy told me you're a college graduate, but you seem kinda slow to me.  I show up on your blog, I get adoring public, they start anticipating these appearances of mine on your blog, and voila!  Auntie Wendy = Librarian Of The Year!

Me: How does your mother fit you in your crib with that ego?

Lemon Drop:  ::sniff:: Well....it's just obvious Auntie Wendy.  I mean, honestly now.

Me: My niece. The diva.  Your Mommy is going to curse my existence when you hit your teen years.

TBR Challenge 2011: Wendy, You Twisted Little Monkey

The Book: Billion Dollar Baby Bargain by Tessa Radley 

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Silhouette Desire #1961, 2009, Out of Print, Available digitally! 

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  I picked it up at RWA 2010 in Nashville Orlando.  

The Review:  Danger, danger Will Robinson!  Thar Be Spoilers Ahoy! 

I cannot tolerate a steady diet, but Lord help me, sometimes I find myself getting sucked into a book that features a barely housebroken, asshole Alpha hero.  I'm not proud of it people, but it flips the ol' Guilty Pleasure Switch.  Sort of like eating chocolate cake for breakfast.  You know it's bad for you.  You don't do it every day.  But damn, sometimes you just can't help yourself and it tastes so darn yummy!

Connor North and Victoria Sutton meet at the impulsive wedding of mutual friends.  He's the best man, she's the maid of honor.  It's pretty much loathe at first sight.  He's just been dumped by his girlfriend (who cheated on him with his business partner - ouch!) and she's worried her already-once-divorced BFF is making a rash decision.  Sure enough the wedding goes off without a hitch, fast forward in time, and Victoria is babysitting lil' baby Dylan while Mommy and Daddy take a special anniversary trip.  Then Connor shows up on her doorstep with Very Bad News.  Their friends have died in an accident, and according to the will - he and Victoria are to share joint-custody of Dylan.  Which should be a neat trick since they can't stand each other.

It's hard to know where to begin, but let's start with Connor.  What we have here is a pretty proto-typical Alpha Billionaire Hero.  He's tall, dark, handsome and surly.  Frankly, he's lacking in enough people skills I wonder how the heck he got to be a billionaire, but whatever.  Honestly, he's a jerk - but the author gives me enough to work with that I don't think he's a complete lost cause. It's a darn thin line though.  Just sayin'.

Although if I'm honest, it's Victoria that's the bigger fly in the ointment for me.  Yes, Connor is a jerk - but when her BFF tells her why Connor is behaving like a jackass - a normal person would have cut him a teeny bit of slack (he loses his girlfriend, his house and his business partner all in one fell swoop - seriously, of course the guy is behaving like a jackass!).  But oh no, not good enough for Victoria. 

Now all of that sounds fairly unpleasant, but honestly?  I was rolling with it.  And don't ask me why, because I can't tell you.  I'm chalking it up to "author skill."   Also, I find the Alpha Asshole a bit more tolerable when the author pairs him with a heroine who gives as good as she gets.  And yes, Victoria does irritate, but at least she's not cowering in a corner in the wake of Connor's jackassery.  

No, where this story really stumbles for me is with baby Dylan.  The author puts a lot of emphasis on "biology" here.  See, the BFFs were infertile.  So Connor donated sperm and Victoria donated an egg.  Needless to say, neither of them knows this about the other.  So the minute the BFFs are dead, there's a lot of possessiveness about Dylan flying around.  More than once Victoria refers to him as "her baby."  Uh, no.  No he's not.  You donated an egg.  That does not make you the child's mother in any real sense of the word.  Likewise, Connor uses the word "seed" more than once, which just....ugh.  Admittedly, this is a hot button for me.  Just because people have the ability to make babies doesn't mean they're parent-material.  Plus, I know babies are helpless, and it's normal to feel protective of them, but dang - the possessiveness was just icky.  It was like Connor and Victoria were using the baby in some sort of twisted power struggle.

And that's ultimately what really hurts the story for me.  If that had been dialed back (or not included at all!), I'll be honest - I flipped the pages on this story easily enough to land it in C territory.  Even considering the jackassery.  But as it stands?  Well, I can only look past so much.  

Final Grade = D+

Digital Review: Fourth And Goal

My reputation for being Little Miss Crabby Pants seems to be getting out.  Or at least my annoyance with romance authors who include professional sports in their books and muck up the details.  My various tirades on this subject is what led Jami Davenport to e-mail me about her latest ebook, Fourth And Goal.  Ms. Davenport assured me that she knew exactly how I felt, as she's a football (Seattle Seahawks) and baseball (Seattle Mariners) fan herself.  She asked if I would be interested in reading her latest for review, and after a quick perusal of the excerpt, I signed on.

Derek Ramsey is a wide receiver for the Seattle Lumberjacks - he's just not sure for how long.  A star athlete in high school and college, his career in the NFL has so far been a bust.  He's well aware this is his last shot, and he's going to work his ass off to make it work.  What he doesn't need are any distractions, so when he hires old friend Rachel McCormick to be a live-in caretaker for his property, he really questions his sanity.

Buddies growing up, Rachel and Derek shared one wild and passionate weekend of Hot Nookie.  She made the mistake of confessing her true feelings, and he bolted faster than you can say "Wham, bam thank you ma'am."  Coupled with the hurt feelings over this incident, Rachel's father, Derek's high school football coach, has become embroiled in an old points-shaving scandal.  Rachel knows that Daddy is innocent, which means he's taking the fall for one of his old players.  Derek seems like a good place to start snooping.

I love a good reunion story, especially when the reunion involves a love affair gone bust.  Rachel adored Derek, so when he spurned her affections, it left her deeply wounded.  For his part, Derek is a moron.  He has feelings for Rachel, and can't seem to quite get her out of head, but since he's a guy, it takes him a while to admit it.  All this gets complicated when they tumble back into bed together (boy howdy, do they tumble!), and Derek has the best game in his fledgling NFL career.  Hey, ballplayers are nothing if not superstitious.  They're just going to have to keep on burning up the sheets!

I really enjoyed the fact that Rachel is a heroine who knows football.  She lives and breathes it.  While she's the nonathletic klutz in a family of athletes, that doesn't mean she didn't learn a thing or two.  In fact, Derek was such a good player in high school and college because she worked with him breaking down game tape.  Her father's troubles led the arena league team she was working for to let her go (guilt by association).  She needs to snoop on Derek to clear her father's name, to give herself a chance at a career she wants, but frankly, she also needs the money.  She also needs to figure out what she wants to do.  She wants to get into scouting, but between her father's troubles and the fact that she doesn't have a penis, it's proving to be difficult.

This is an erotic romance, and I generally go into this genre expecting "sexy and fun."  So when an author gives me some depth, it's always, in my opinion, a nice addition.  While there are plenty of Sexy Times between Rachel and Derek, their mutual back stories, coupled with Derek's burgeoning stardom (once the team starts winning!) gave this story such a lovely feel.  Nobody knows the Lumberjacks exist, until they go on a winning streak, and with that comes more demands on Derek's time.  Who does he say no to?  I also appreciated the added touches of Derek's beat-up body surviving the grind of an NFL season, and also that he wasn't a mega-super-duper-star right out of the gate.  You know how many guys have great college careers but are either a bust or "just OK" in the NFL?  Quite a few.

I do have a couple of nit-picks, because you know - this is me we're talking about here.  First, point-shaving in football is not an easy thing to do.  Unlike basketball, teams aren't scoring points every other minute.  In order for it to work, you pretty much need the quarterback in the mix.  Derek, as a wide receiver, wouldn't be the best guy for the job, because WR is a "dependent" position.  In other words, someone needs to throw him the damn ball.  I suspect the author realized this, so she stacks the deck in her favor by making the QB Derek's cousin-but-they-might-as-well-be-brothers, Tyler.  So Rachel thinks that either Derek could be protecting Tyler, or they were in cahoots together.  I'll admit it, I nit-picked this aspect of the story half to death, but the author wraps it up in a way that I was sold on it by the end.

The writing itself is quite good.  It does take a little while to get to the Sexy Times, so some readers might find the first portion of the story "slow" - but it worked well for me as far as setting the stage is concerned.  The one aspect that didn't always gel was the author's tendency to use football lingo/euphemisms in the story - especially during love scenes.  A couple of times, this can be cute.  More than that?  We land in eye-rolling territory.  Less definitely would have been more.

But you know what?  I really enjoyed this story.  A lot.  With my nit-picks, my final grade would generally be around B- or B territory.  However, I gotta say it, I got sucked into this book.  I mean, hook line and sinker sucked in.  I was deeply invested in these characters.  Not just Derek and Rachel, but all of them.  Even Derek's asshole cousin, Tyler, who cannot string a sentence together without dropping the F-bomb half a dozen times.  Hooked folks, I'm positively hooked.  So....

Final Grade = B+

When does the next book come out?  Dang.

Note: This title is currently only available as an ebook.  You can purchase it via Loose ID and wherever their titles are sold.