Review: Steamy and satisfying read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 4, 2013
This was an emotionally charged story, with characters who've got baggage to spare...and I didn't want to put it down!Chelsea Greene has suffered a devastating tragedy, and is looking to make a fresh start away from everyone who knows her history. She's wracked with guilt and feeling smothered by the ones who love her, her mother especially. Xander Lawson had a horrible childhood, and so has grown up with the idea that he needs to "save" others from the bad things in life, but also believes that he himself isn't cut out for a happy ending. When the two meet--at an evacuation of their apartment building for a false fire alarm--the sparks are immediate and HOT.The heat between the two continues throughout the book as both resist forming a "real" relationship as long as they possibly can, all the while enjoying each other's company. A lot. I actually read a large chunk of this book while at a AAA baseball game--NOT a baseball fan, so I usually use game time as an excuse to read out in the sun--and it did get a bit awkward, reading so many steamy scenes while out in the middle of a crowd. They were well-written, though, and so I (wo)manfully suffered through it. ;)I'd previously only read Anderson's "Flirting to Win" novellas, which I enjoyed enough to put the rest of her books on my TBR list. This book, the start to her new series, is quite a bit longer and a lot hotter than those--and I've got no complaints. I wanted to find out what had happened to Chelsea, figure out why Xander was so sure a relationship would never work for him, and of course was pulling 100% for the two of them to get to their HEA. Anderson took her time revealing all through the story, but the book still went by quickly, probably because I wanted to keep reading!It looks like Xander's friends will be starring in the future books in the series, and from what we've seen of them in this one, I'll definitely be adding them to my list as well. I'm also very tempted to check out a manly game of water polo or two...or seven....Overall, this is a fast-paced, fun read with characters it's easy to quickly care a lot about. However, I can't say I recommend reading the bulk of it in a public place. ;)**I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review**