Review: Sophie Swift Can Write!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 6, 2013
I don't like triangle stories, and I usually opt not to read them, but I was offered a copy of "Out from Under You" in exchange for an honest review, so I acquiesced.  So, here's my review:  I still don't like triangle stories.  That being said, I really really liked "Out from Under You.""Out from Under You" is the first in the "Smart Girls Finish First" series by Sophie Swift.  It introduces us to sisters Lia and Alex Smart.  Anyone who has a sibling can, I'm sure, relate to the rivalry and sense of competitiveness that often exists, and it's no different between Lia and Alex.  Lia sees her older sister as a strong, successful, confident woman who knows how to go after (and get) everything she wants, including Grayson Walker, a man Lia has loved since she was 14-years old.  However, now, eight years later, he's engaged to Alex.So, let's talk about Grayson Walker.  I wanted to like Grayson.  I mean, don't we all want to like the hero in the story?  Some of us even fall in love with him, don't we?  But Grayson posed a bit of a challenge for me.  Both sisters?  I'm not so sure.  However, there were things about him I did like.  He's sexy.  I cannot argue that.  And, without doubt, he indisputably, unequivocally rocks Lia's world!  Okay, so score one, or more (do multiple orgasms count?), for Grayson.  He does have some commendable qualities.  For one, his shear willingness to overlook Alex's less-than-charming disposition should earn him extra points.  And then, of course there's the fact that Lia loves him.  Well... okay, so I do like Grayson, so I think perhaps some of my reticence can merely be attributed to the acknowledgement that I.  Don't. Like.  Triangle.  Stories.Grayson is engaged to Alex, albeit for reasons I find hard to comprehend, but yes, the fact is, he is, so he certainly shouldn't want Lia, and Lia positively shouldn't want him.  Grayson's affection for Lia while at the same time professing devotion to Alex was a bit frustrating for me (remember, I have an anathema to triangles).  However, the author's creative storytelling approach - she gives us alternating POVs between Lia and Grayson - takes the reader on a journey of discovery and self-realization along with the characters.  It's not often in a triangle story where it's the guy who has to decide, and I found that twist to be unique and refreshing.Author Sophie Swift does an outstanding job of interlacing the present story with the characters' past, so that as a reader we learn the genesis of the unspoken rivalries between Alex and Lia, along with the whole account of when Grayson became a part of the lives of the Smart sisters, as well as how Grayson and Alex eventually become a couple.The story is written well, and let me just say, parenthetically, that I really like Sophie Swift's writing style.  The dialogue between the characters is fresh, witty - even at times downright humorous - and definitely sexy.  The intimate scenes sizzle, and sizzle, and did I mention sizzle?  It is the hallmark of a good writer to pull a reader along and keep them (me) engaged, even when we don't particularly embrace the story premise.  This author did that for me; she really, really did.  I look forward to more about the "Smart Girls" and to more from Sophie Swift.Out From Under Me earns 4-1/2 stars.