Review: Sweet and Passionate
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2011
Maddy is a plus-sized nurse who is competent, independent, and confident in almost every aspect of her life - except her love life.  Which is in serious need of CPR.  After a stormy first couple of interactions with her police officer neighbor, Mike, the two develop a tenuous companionship.  When the passion simmering underneath boils over, that friendship becomes something more intimate and slightly unsure for Maddy.  Mike wants to explore a true relationship but Maddy's self-doubts hold her back.  Will Mike's iron will be able to overcome Maddy's stubborn denials?As fair warning, some of what I discuss in my review compares Cop's Passion toDoctor's Delight (Big Girls Lovin')(the first book in the series).  This book can stand entirely on its own - though Doctor's Delight is a great read too.I love this book.  I also love this series.  With these two books, we get to meet two plus-sized women who have the same struggle with their weight and share some similar issues but who face the world in different ways.  With Cop's Passion, it was so nice to have a different angle on a plus-sized heroine.  Maddy didn't just hide in a corner, hoping the world wouldn't notice her (whereas Cherry from DD was a shy, introverted personality).  Maddy gets out there, goes on blind dates, challenges her behemoth of a neighbor for the sake of a kitten, and refuses to listen while her family berates her in an attempt to "help" her with her weight.  If you've ever struggled with your weight (or any other physical ailment that makes you less than "normal") and really experienced how unkind the world can be, you'll understand the guts and resilience it takes to meet each day with your head held high.  I'm so appreciative to find a character with this "damn the torpedoes" attitude.The issues Maddy had with her family felt so true to life, especially for someone who is the only heavy person in their family.  There were a couple of times when I thought Maddy's stubborn streak made her a little impractical or silly, but putting the book together as a whole, I realized that those events were just her way of controlling a situation.  No measurable size is given for Maddy, so you get to picture her as whatever size you'd like.As for the romance, it was very sweet, if Maddy's sharp tongue and Mike's growling could be considered sweet.  It was nice that, though there was heat between them from the beginning, their relationship developed and deepened over time.  I also liked that they each appreciate the other's surliness and that they just accept the other for what they were.  The inclusion of the kitten was so cute and helped to illustrate Mike's compassion, as well as his decision to pursue a relationship with Maddy.  I really liked that Mike was a little wicked and did his best to show Maddy in little ways that it didn't matter what anyone else thought or said... that it was just about the two of them.  I appreciated that Mike spent his time building her confidence up, especially in the bedroom and relationship areas, while not dismissing her insecurities.So, I guess this is a silly personal quirk, but whenever I meet new people (in real life), I sort of analyze how their name fits with their personality.  I've found that I do this with books now too and I was pleased to see that both of the heroines in the Big Girls Lovin' books match their names.  Cherry is tender-hearted and virginal and Maddy is stubborn and slightly temperamental.  I'm curious to see what Tim's lady love will be like.On a final note, I appreciated that the author included a little dictionary of relevant Australian slang.  In Doctor's Delight, I had a little trouble with some unfamiliar words and reading the Aussie terms before starting the book kept the reading smooth.  The phrases "plus-size knickers" and "budgie smugglers" just tickled my fancy in a totally juvenile way and I'm so going to work these two phrases into my vocabulary.