Review: Flirty and fun without all the drama
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 2, 2014
Author Christi Barth brings the charm of a small town romance while adding quite a bit of humor and conflict to make Up to Me an enjoyable, light read.Graydon Locke’s job is to go undercover, assess businesses and if necessary, recommend it for closure, all while avoiding discovery by residents. He doesn’t seem to think much of small towns so when his job sends him to Mayhew Manor, a health spa, Gray thinks it will be a simple in, done and gone job.Ella Mayhew has been through her share of tragedy. After losing her parents in an accident, she’s thrown herself into Mayhew Manor, the only thing she has left of her parents. The arrival of a handsome guest wasn’t in her plans but Ella can’t seem to resist the pull between her and Gray. Unfortunately she doesn’t know the real reason why he’s in town.Up to Me proves that a romance novel doesn’t always have to be complicated and messy to be good. Sometimes a reader like me wants a steamy romance without too many obstacles for the couple. That’s what this book delivers.While the “instant love” between Gray and Ella was a bit farfetched, it didn’t come close to the attitudes and involvement of the town’s residents. Now, I’m not a fan of over the top, nosy and meddling characters so having a whole town full of them was a little hard to get past. How Ella dealt with it without cracking some skulls is a mystery. That was a little too much for me. Other than that though, Up to Me was a lot of fun.What I definitely want to point out about this book is that the romance between Gray and Ella isn’t always such a serious affair. Sure there’s attraction and sexual tension but there’s also goofy and funny thrown in to lighten the atmosphere and since I would put Up to Me in the “sweetly romantic” category, I recommend it for fans of light and sexy romance without graphic sex scenes or heavy conflicts.Final Verdict: Fun and flirty, Up to Me is a book I would definitely recommend to fans of the light side of romance. The main characters are easy to understand and likable.