Review: Swoony but frustrating
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
I absolutely love the "faking a relationship" plotline. Don't ask why; I probably have hidden issues. Give me a story where the leading couple have to pretend for one reason or another that they're in love and end up falling in love for real and I'm in. So when K told me about Her Accidental Boyfriend I said, "Yes Please!"After reading the final words...I'm on the fence. I enjoyed the story enough that I read the whole thing with minimal breaks and never thought twice about coming back to read more, but I had some issues on a few different fronts.1-Character names, particularly the heroine. Kagan? It took me forever to figure out how to pronounce it in my head and until that happened, it was extremely distracting and only served to make it difficult to connect to the leading lady. (Note: I'm not 100% sure but I believe it's pronounced "Kay-gan")2-The blocking. Oh the blocking! Every time Kagan and Shane came anywhere close to kissing or sealing the deal, something inevitably interrupted them. It got to the point where I was expecting the stoppage before it even happened and didn't feel entirely realistic. Example: Kagan and Shane are hanging out at her place one evening. They lean in to kiss...and there's a knock on the door. It's the neighbor boy bringing his fish by for Kagan to babysit for him that she conveniently forgot all about until that very moment! The boy leaves, the fish stays, they lean in again...and the phone rings. Oh no, family emergency! It just felt a bit forced. When they did finally seal the deal, it was a very uneventful fade to black with little lead up. Didn't leave this reader feeling like it was worth all the wait.3-Forced drama. Interruptions aside, the dramatic twists and turns to the story also felt a bit forced to me.Shane was sweet and I really liked him. The only thing I didn't like was that he was painted as some "bachelor playboy" when he never once acted anything like that. His comments about being terrified of commitment and never wanting to get attached to a woman didn't match up with his actions. At all. The man also needs to seriously consider filing a sexual harassment suit against his employer. The woman was totally creepy, bordering on unrealistic. Veiled threats that he wouldn't get promoted unless he remained a bachelor? Not gonna fly.I liked Kagan too but again, she had me confused from time to time. She left New York to escape her controlling father. She seemed very immature and timid...then she'd have these moments where she was a confident sex kitten trying to seduce Shane. Where did that come from? I also had a hard time believing that she was a high ranking executive in a Fortune-whatever company prior to leaving New York. I loved her tribute to her mother when she found her new venture and felt like she did fit into the life she was making in Cascade, so that's the important thing. I do wish she'd grown a little more of a backbone. When faced with her father again, that immaturity came right back. She wonders why her father doesn't respect her wishes and let her live her own life? Maybe because one demand from him and she's back to doing exactly what he wants.I really enjoyed the characters and their relationship, but there were pieces about these two that just never fit for me and those pieces always took me out of the story for a moment. I loved the supporting cast and the community feeling the author was able to create. Made me want to fly west and visit Cascade; to stop and grab a drink at the Crown & Anchor. Shane's family was loving and adorable and I love how they made Kagan right at home. Charlotte was a great friend to Kagan and I love how she was integrated from start to finish.Overall, I gave Her Accidental Boyfriend three stars. The love story itself was sweet. I really enjoyed the scenes with Kagan and Shane together and their gradual shift from casual friends to fake boyfriend/girlfriend to something real. In the end, I'm glad I read it and walked away feeling uplifted. The above mentioned reasons kept me from loving it completely.