It's always tough reading a book you have high expectations about. They never measure up, so the trick is to lower your standards as far as possible. It worked with the movie Batman v. Superman. I expected garbage, and what I found was mildly tolerable, odorous fare. Suddenly You wasn't anywhere near as bad as that, but it left me wanting.

The thing is, I think Kleypas was running out of ideas by the time she came to this book. With her books, I'm used to last minute kidnappings, random murder threats, and unbelievable fights to the death. While they're sometimes a little out of place, they make her stories super fun and entertaining, and that's one of the reasons why I love Kleypas. With this book, it felt like she didn't know what to do. Yes, the back synopsis hints that the heroine saves the hero from a life-threatening situation, but I assure you, it's not that thrilling. However, compared to how the rest of the book went, it was downright cinematic.

Now, I like when the hero and heroine have good, pleasurable sex together, particularly when the heroine isn't shy about her desires. The problem was that this book was 70% sex scenes, 20% brooding for both characters, and 10% plot. The premise is basically the same as the movie You've Got Mail--the hero is a corporate monster eating up independent publishers, one of whom the heroine works for. At some point, I expected the two of them to go head-to-head as they duke it out: her principles and art against his business acumen and pride. And it would've been heightened by their love for literature and each other. At the end, they'd realize nothing mattered except each other, and that's the book I wanted to read, that I expected to read, and I didn't get it.

In the hands of a lesser author, this book would be a 1 or a 2 starred book. While each individual scene was well-written, in my opinion, as a whole, it lacked structure. Anyway, if you like tropes and sex, this is the book for you, otherwise, read it at your own risk. ( )

Suddenly You
3 Stars

One of Kleypas's earlier works that, unfortunately, does not live up to its potential.

As an established and recognized author in Regency England, Amanda Briars is a unique and intriguing heroine. The fact that she is self-possessed and courageous enough to hire a male companion to divest her of her virginity only adds to her appeal. Regrettably, the promise that she exhibits at the start of the book does not extend to the middle or end as her character develops into a dishonest, insecure and irritating shadow of her former self.

Jack Devlin fits a common hero-type in historical romance. A ruthless businessman determined to overcome his traumatic upbringing as the illegitimate child of a nobleman, Jack has sworn off marriage and fatherhood, but cannot seem to keep his hands off the delightful spinster who crosses his path. Much of Jack's backstory is provided second-hand, which makes it difficult to appreciate and truly sympathize with his character.

In terms of the romance, much of Jack and Amanda's relationship is based on sex, and their interactions outside the bedroom are few and far between. In fact, it is never really clear what they actually see in each other beyond their physical attraction.

Overall, definitely not one of Kleypas's better books. ( )

Soltera y todavía virgen, la novelista Amanda Briars no está dispuesta a recibir su trigésimo cumpleaños sin haber hecho el amor.
Cuando Jack Devlin llama a su puerta, cree que se trata del regalo que se ha hecho a sí misma: un hombre contratado para una noche de pasión. Aunque algo impide a Jack dar rienda suelta al deseo, su determinación de poseer a Amanda no se detendrá… Sus respectivos mundos colisionarán con una pasión que ninguno de los dos esperaba…

Yessssss I love this! Right up my alley! (4.5 stars) ( )

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