Review: Pleasantly entertaining read ...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2014
Review first posted to Reader's Edyn (blogspot)Admittedly, I do not know much about author Kimberly Kincaid. LOVE ON THE LINE is the first book I have read by this author. I found myself pleasantly entertained by this story and enjoyed Ms. Kincaid’s writing style. The cover was a good indicator in aiding my decision to read this story. While it does contain its erotic romance, I would almost classify it a sweet romance. Of course, it could be argued that my erotic detector is a bit desensitized with all of the smutty reads I generally encounter. And what seems tame to some (me), may indeed be pushing the taboo limits for others. Never-the-less, I enjoyed my time spent with these characters and consider the story refreshing.Noah is a cop. Born and bred to live the life, he has never looked back, or doubted his career path choices. In the middle of an investigation, Noah wakes up to find himself in the hospital. He has been shot, he in now on leave from the force, and he has no memory of his shooter. What is plaguing his is the knowledge that the identity of the shooter is trapped somewhere in his mind. Curiously, his first recollection is the hazy image of a woman visiting him in his hospital room briefly and disappearing just as quickly. But he doubts the memory. Or maybe he is just losing his mind. His partner, Jason, thinks it is a possibility when he tells him of the mystery woman. But the apparent apparition takes a back seat to the immediate issue; identifying the shooter.Violet is a chef; cooking extraordinaire. Cooking relaxes her in her times of turmoil but for the most part, she leads a simple, uncomplicated life and she prefers it that way. She has enough to worry about with her brother, Jason, putting his life on the line daily just going to work. Her father was already lost in the line of duty and the stress of the same possibly happening to Jason is a constant source of worry. And now Jason is in a bind with Noah refusing any type of assistance as he recovers so he quickly enlists Violet and her mad cooking skills to help Noah out. Still reeling from a near discovery when visiting Noah in his hospital room, she declines. No way is she going to help that stubborn lug … not after that amazing kiss a couple of years ago … certainly not after he seemed to forget it … and definitely not when she still likes him. Close contact, cooking or him in his house every day? Nut uh! Besides, he is a cop, so is automatically defaulted to off limits. She would be much better off staying far away from him. And so, she agrees to help him.Violet, to me, is a very relatable character with tangible concerns. You see, I have always thought that my husband would have made a great career in law enforcement. But he never chose that path for his life and I find myself grateful for it. I also imagine that being the wife of a cop could quite possibly be one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. And so, if only in a very small way, I was able to identify with Violet’s fear of getting involved with a cop. By the same token, Noah was also believable. A man’s man, he shuns pain meds, cannot stand the idea of being “benched” while recovering, and exhibits deep frustration with the memory loss. His actions and reaction are honest and true to the character and situations. I enjoyed watching this tough guy, unfamiliar with expressing his emotions, have to dig deep in an effort to make Violet see that a future could be possible.Despite my enjoyment from reading this story, I did notice a couple of issues that bothered me. The first was related to both characters being under the misunderstood notion that neither was interested in the other. The reader is led to believe that there is some big fallout of some sort that led to them keeping a distance. Ultimately, the reason is quite trivial. Something I found annoying, particularly toward the end, was the unnecessary use of the word “and” within the intimate scenes. I felt that the word could have been easily eliminated in several of the sentences. The other thing I disliked was that no one was willing to give credit to the blooming romance of Noah and Violet, as the facilitator to Noah’s memory gradually returning. When asked, he would say he didn’t know why he remembered that piece of memory and that would be the end of it. To me, the reason was obvious, and Violet should have received recognition in some way.On a bright note, these complaints only garnered a quick mental notation and did not, overall, affect my reading enjoyment. Jason, as a secondary character, does not give the reader overmuch, but does provide enough that he could quite possibly end up with his own story. LOVE ON THE LINE is a novella so would be a good way for a reader who is unfamiliar with Ms. Kincaid’s work to experience her writing style. One fun component was the cooking that took place. I think it may have been downplayed just a bit which is unfortunate because the author could have used it creatively in an … um … naughty way. But it added something fun to the story that I liked. And there is a special “treat” at the end; a fabulous idea that I loved.Overall, my first experience with Kimberly Kincaid was a positive one. Given the opportunity, I would read her work again. I recommend this book for those who enjoy cooking, cops, and steamy sexual attraction. LOVE ON THE LINE is a novella so would be a good way for a reader who is unfamiliar with Ms. Kincaid’s work to experience her writing style. LOVE ON THE LINE is sweet and sensual without venturing into the over-the-top eroticism that readers frequently encounter. For those of you looking for a good book to pass the time, this book is a good choice. And those of you who want that HEA, look no further as LOVE ON THE LINE is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger.(eBook copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.)