Review: Perfect Blend of Sexy and Sweet!  4.5/5 Stars from The Romanceaholic
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 7, 2011
Expected Release Date: September 2, 2011 (Available Now!)Publisher: Ellora's CaveImprint: N/AAuthor's Website: karenstivali dot comMy Source for This Book: Won in a contestPart of a Series: NoSeries Best Read In Order:  N/ASteam Level: HotWhat Worked For Me:* I adore friends-to-lovers in my romance novels. There's just something so sexy about people who have literally been through everything together finally finding love with each other. *dreamy sigh** Yum, yum, YUM! Jon is absolutely delicious, and the underlying chemistry between him and Shari is absolutely sizzling.* I liked that Shari wasn't entirely thrilled at the idea of jumping straight back into a relationship.  In fact, had she felt otherwise, I don't think I would've believed in a possible HEA for her and Jon, since she was just coming out of a long-term relationship, having discovered that her scummy fiance was cheating on her.  Luckily, Shari has been attracted to Jon for years, and that they truly are best friends (and don't best friends make the best lovers?), so despite the speed of their developing relationship, it was still believable.* I also liked that while the characters do fall into bed with each other fairly early on in the novel, there is plenty of buildup and history shown between the two, so when they end up having a great time together, it felt very plausible that there could be more to their relationship than just sex.* The beach scene. Guh. *mops brow** I was also thankful that things weren't immediately perfect between Jon and Shari.  There were self-doubts on both sides, as well as a misunderstanding that could've caused things to end far differently.  This added just the right amount of angst to balance out the heat and the sweetness, making it impossible to put down.What Didn't Work For Me:* Despite being best friends and therefore able to talk about anything, discussing past lovers while engaging in heavy foreplay is not sexy.The story starts off right in the middle of the action (not that kind of action though, for at least half a chapter), with Shari and Jon arriving, rather drunk, at their hotel room in Aruba, after Shari bailed on her wedding to her cheating fiance, Phil.  There's a small flashback that helps readers catch up with what they have missed, and then we follow Shari and Jon as they battle their long-standing attraction before finally giving in.The love scenes are wonderfully steamy, but even more importantly, there's plenty of plot to go around, despite the small word count.Overall, a wonderfully taste, fast read.  Perfect for when you don't have the time for a full-length novel but still need a sexy little pick-me-up that beautifully balances steam and sweetness.A very cheerful 4.5/5 StarsReview originally published on The Romanceaholic