Review: Meh.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 20, 2013
Melanie Gordon is moving up the ranks in the highly competitive world of HR. She's finally been given the promotion she's been waiting for - though heading up the new Ohio branch of her company means moving back to her home town, and into the embrace of her sometimes overbearing family. She moved away to escape the aftermath of a devastating breakup, but the new Melanie is all business, and she'll do what she has to do to get ahead - even if it means leaving behind a relationship that was just heating up.Melanie met career philanthropist Raine Mason about a year before this book kicks off. They've been each other's plus one to weddings and business events ever since. Melanie might have been interested in him once upon a time, but he's made it clear that he's only interested in being friends - that is, until he finds out she's moving home. It turns out that the trigger shy Raine has been harboring some pretty strong feelings for Ryan's heroine all along.Melanie is reluctant to pursue a relationship long-distance, or focus on anything outside her career, but Raine could very well be the love of her life. The only obstacles now are Melanie's career-minded tunnel vision, and whatever it is that Raine's hiding...The chemistry between Raine and Melanie and the various and sundry ways they act upon it are super sexy. That in itself makes this a worthwhile read, but the story is about so much more. I liked Melanie as a heroine - she was determined and smart, and most importantly, she didn't fall straight into a man's arms. I got a bit fed up with her determination to ignore Raine in the beginning, but I don't think that that reflects negatively on the book. On the contrary, I like a story when the protagonist makes mistakes. A perfect heroine just wouldn't be believable.In an excellent cast of back-up characters, there were a couple I'd love to read more about. For instance, if Ryan decided to write Melanie's de facto sister Jamie her own story, I would pick it up in a heartbeat. Jamie's a colorful character, and I particularly liked her blunt observations on Melanie's life. My next favorite character was Melanie's nemesis Priscilla. She's an antagonistic presence and her comeuppance is glorious - and not to mention, satisfying.I had one qualm about this story - I found it somewhat disjointed. The focus shifts drastically after Raine's secret comes out, and I questioned some of the author's decisions in the way she delivered this. There were a few hints dropped early on in the story to what the secret might be, but I could have done with more. I just can't help thinking that in order to love this book, I needed it to be more cohesive.