some of the writing was a bit repetitive, but other than that it was good. ( )

It's a romance novel...but there is a lot of humor and a cute story. ( )

I wanted to like this -- so much. But it really just wasn't very good. I did enjoy the primary pairing -- Risk Kincaid and Jacy Grayson, which was what allowed me to give it a 3.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some of the reviews I've read questioned how the relationship could proceed in the way it did for so long, but that actually rang true to me. They'd clearly come to mean a lot to each other but, on the surface, had agreed to pretty specific terms. I could definitely believe that they were both afraid of what would happen if one tried to ask for more than the other was willing to give. And, yes, the wardrobe description got a little annoying, but overall, I liked both of them and was able to see past that.

For pairing #2 -- Zen and Stevie... I was expecting a lot more from them, to be honest. I actually read the last in this series before any of the others and had a definite impression of that couple that I did NOT get from this first book. I liked Zen overall, but he was almost too, well, zen. Whereas Stevie, who I really wanted to like, seemed to be far too insecure for the circumstances, and yet at the same time a little too confident in a weird kind of way. As some other reviewers, I'll just pretend that the weird Zen-not-being-Zen incident didn't happen because that just didn't ring true At. All.

The only other thing I have to say about these characters was the whole Stevie being overweight thing. First of all, although I appreciate what the author was trying to do, it got to be a bit much -- plus it just didn't ring true. (See the insecurity v. confidence thing above.) And the way everybody and their brother commented on it... Do skinny people really talk to each other like that when one of their own slips off the path? I can't imagine that people who really do seem to care about each other would speak to a friend like that. I know it was a secondary thing, but I found it really distracting and annoying.

In terms of pairing #3, I found no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It seems as though I was supposed to, but I just couldn't. Not one bit.

I'm glad that I read an installment much further along than this first one, because if this was the first book I'd picked up by this author, I wouldn't be reading any more. I have to admit, it's actually made me rethink my reading strategy as I venture into the whole romance arena. Picking a book much later in the series and actually falling for the characters *there*, then going back to the beginning and giving it time to pick up some steam might not be the worst thing.

I'm still going to put book #2 on the request list at the library, but, like I said, if this had been the only book I'd read from this author so far, it would have been a total strikeout. (Sorry. Couldn't help it.) ( )