Review: I had issues with this one,but still loving the series!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2012
My Review:This is a tough book to review, because although I enjoyed the book and I ADORE all these characters, I personally had issues with the main conflict of the book. I found it really hard to believe. Lexi is Sierra's little sister. Sierra was the heroine from book #1, Shameless (that review was up yesterday.) Josh is a former cop and third degree black belt who acts as head of Trey's security. Trey was the hero of Shameless.Josh and Lexi have been friends for a long time...good friends and they are both fighting an attraction to each other because they want different things from a relationship. Josh is 40 and is ready to get married again. He has 16 yo twin boys, but he wants more kids. He wants a white picket fence again. Lexi grew up with an abusive father and even though she said she never would, fell into an abusive relationship which ended badly. After that, she swore she never wanted to become that deeply involved again. She simply wants sex and fun...no long-term relationships.My issue with this book is Lexi's reasoning. As a reader, I just wasn't buying it. She was engaged to this abusive jerk...and yes, she made a mistake. But she's best friends with Josh. She knows absolutely that he is not like that. And she's already gone past the point of no-return...she's fallen in love with him. He knows it. She knows it. Why not get involved?? It's like she thinks she's going to wake up one morning and he's going to be a different person. They are already involved for all practical purposes...just not sleeping together. I just didn't get it. I know the author needed conflict to keep these two apart, but this just didn't work for me. I could even almost buy it if she was flat-out anti-marriage, especially with her parents history, but she'd been engaged to the abusive jerk, so she obviously believes that marriage can work.Can you tell? This was a huge sticking point for me because it was the main conflict for the entire book.That and there are a few details in the book that just didn't make sense to me....*The whole "I love you" scene from Lexi...or should I say scenes? Because it happens twice and the second time around, it's written in the book like the first never happened.*And did I miss it?? I don't think we ever got to hear the verdict on the murder trial for the ex. Surely it was in there and I just somehow skimmed over it when it was late and I was reading because that was kind of a huge part of the book.It's just the little details that can ruin a book.BUT OMG, I maintain that I love this series. I know...right?!? But this group of friends are such likable characters (yes, even Josh and Lexi...I did really like them). I really like all the characters and I love the group dynamic between them. There were a couple of new characters introduced in this book that I loved and I cannot wait for Marisa and Luc's book.