Review: The competition heats up!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 12, 2014
Nothing like a little competition between friends, right?  Well, when the competition heats up over funeral homes and financial obligations, and there’s some unresolved relationship drama involved, things can get pretty ugly!  Finn had left Ellie bitter and hurt all those years ago when he confided in her, had his way with her, and turned his back without a word.  She was understandably upset (ummm, yeah!!) and wanted nothing to do with the man that she was so sure had used her, and her return home to save her father’s life’s work was her sole purpose in town.  It was just a cruel twist of fate that Finn had set up shop in that same town and was not about to go down without another of their epic battles.The competition aspect of this story was a fun twist, I liked that Ellie and Finn had always been that duo that wanted to outdo each other.  I think the way it rolled into their current situation was a bit overplayed at times (and arguably a little eerie given the race was on for nabbing the dead), but they were entertaining as they tried to get creative with their advertising strategies.  Ellie had a double load, because she’d only come to her hometown to help out her father, which meant she had a life and job to go back to.  She was on the verge of a meltdown as she tried to deal with her ailing father, a major advertising gig back at her job, and the pressure to keep the funeral home up and running.  But Finn’s situation wasn’t much better given he had to keep his mother employed and safe while competing with Ellie.  It seemed like a lose-lose situation, because you really can’t wish either of them out of their livelihood without a pang of guilt!As for the chemistry between Finn and Ellie, I was on the fence with this one.  They didn’t have an intense ‘I can’t keep my hands off of you’ kind of physical connection, but they were sexy together when it came down to it.  Finn always had a bit of a wall up with Ellie, and I think that barrier made them not mesh as well as they could have.  Overall, I liked their story and it had a good mix of drama and feels to keep me reading!Quotes:Taller than he had been in high school and broader in the shoulders, with a lazy gait that spoke of the insolent way he looked at life, he set every nerve ending in her body on fire. ~p. 3“You look great in that dress, by the way.  It makes your butt look very sexy.”She pivoted to face him. “This is a church!”He waved his hand in dismissal.  “This is a church parking lot.” He smiled.  “And you do look pretty.” ~p. 79He would never, ever, ever put himself in a position where somebody could hurt him like that.  And he’d never put Ellie in the position where she’d have to hurt him.~p. 225