Review: When a Santini falls in love, he falls hard. A punch to the face helps, too...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2013
Sometimes when I read a 'military' romance, I expect to find an OTT alpha hero, but while Leo is definitely all hot and muscled male, he is a real sweetheart. He's beefy and hunky, but I also thought he was adorable and charming, very easy-going, and a nice foil to the heroine. I liked her a lot more than I thought I would. I like a tough heroine, but I don't like them to be too harsh or abrasive. I think the author kept Maryanne's character/attitude from being too mean or too b!itchy. Maryanne is from a family of Marines; she grew up a tomboy in a rough and tumble household with three brothers, so she knows how to be tough and throw attitude around. I liked that Maryanne is tough and direct, like a tiny little drill sergeant, and Leo loves this sassy attitude.She doesn't easily fall for the hero right off. Really, it's Leo who falls first, and I like to see that in a romance sometimes; where it's the hero who gets knocked for a loop straightaway. It's really sweet how Leo sees the softer side of Maryanne under all that bark and bite. He brings out the softness in her and romances her, something she's not used to. This is a novella (around 80 pages on my kindle), so it's not overly long or complicated. It's an easy, sweet read with some steam and a nice romantic feeling to it, and it was something that really fit my mood today. Leonardo cheered me up, made me feel lighter, and provided a sweet, romantic escape from a dreary, rainy day. Look forward to more books in the series about Leo's brothers! Actually, I hope Maryanne's brothers get stories, too.