Review: Nice Girl
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 27, 2013
My Thoughts:Nice Girl was surprisingly an unexpected gem of the story for me. I typically run far away from new adult fiction but I find that authors are getting better and better at writing it. Kate Baum spins a well-paced, enjoyable tale that is part coming of age story paired with steamy contemporary romance. It was a nice mix and balance between the two.Grace Locke leaves her sleepy Midwestern hometown to continue her studies in New York City. Her departure is bittersweet because it marks a new phase in her life. However, it also ends the best part of her life which was fun times with her three best friends since ninth grade−Eve, Janie, and Dee. As with any group, natural roles were assumed among them. Eve was the brave one. Dee was the smart one. Janie was the funny one. And, Grace...dear sweet Grace was the nice one. The quad of friends worked together and played together. The even seemed to lose their virginity together. Oh, not at the same time because that's just...ewww !*LOL* but within a very close window of time. The topic of sex comes up on their last day together and the girls discover that none of them have ever experienced a genuine orgasm. The solution to THAT little problem? The Orgasm Pact...courtesy of Dee. According to her, they all needed to find an older (30ish to their 20's) and more experienced man to meet their physical needs. With Grace's diminished level of self-confidence, she vowed that she would not meet her end of the pact until she grew emotionally stronger.Fast forward a bit and Grace arrived in New York City a few pounds lighter with a sense of direction and expectation. Her confidence was kick-started by the recent changes in her life and body. She was nowhere near where she wanted to be but she was looking forward expectantly.Once Grace settled into her new dorm she decided to explore the on-campus job opportunities. She was looking for something that will bolster her resume so retail and food service was out of her career equation. But unfortunately for Grace, who enrolled in the spring semester instead of the fall, all the good resume-building jobs were taken by other students. A little dejected by her discovery, Grace visited the local Starbucks for a caffeine pick-me-up. She happened to notice that they had a job board and spied a position for a secretary. Not really interested in clerical work, Grace almost walked away until she is approached from behind by a cute an energetic young man. He asked her if she was interested in the secretarial and offers it to her on the spot. When Grace responds noncommittally, the young man, Jamie, dragged her out of Starbucks to the place that was doing the hiring -- a private investigative agency. Grace is actually intrigued by the by idea at working at the PI agency. It would give her nice research fodder for her criminology studies. She is interested and even more so when she discovered that the co-owner would accommodate her school schedule and adjust her hours accordingly. Grace has found the perfect job!Or not!Enter Vinnie Lewis. Vinnie is the other co-owner of the PI agency. Vinnie is muscular, loud, and threatening. Grace's first encounter with him is when was when she saw a display of his temper and heard him making a death threat against someone. The old Grace tried to rear her head, almost causing the new Grace to cower in fear from the imposing man. But, the new Grace stood her ground, accepted the job, and exceled at it.Through a course of events, Vinnie and Grace settle upon a tacit truce. Grace actually began to like Vinnie, as he does her. Vinnie showed that he was sweet, caring, and protective. But demons from his past control him, keeping him from being the man he thought Grace needs. But the new Grace fought for her man...and won!Nice Girl explores friendships and interpersonal relationships in a fun and interesting way. All kinds of relationships (friendships is included in this) are present in the story that just shouldn't work for various reasons -- uh uh...no spoilers here...read it for yourself :) --but work dynamically well.The secondary characters were stellar. Grace's BFF's and her new friends in New York-- Jamie, Luke, Ivy, Mindy, India, Jamal, Anthony and even Carmella added an enjoyable kaleidoscope of flavor and flair.I enjoyed the pace that Baum set in the story. This was not a bow-chicka-wow-wow insta-love kinda read. Oh there were smexy times, thanks to Anthony, but not so much between Vinnie and Grace until almost the very end of the story. But, don't get me wrong. The steamy moments between them that led up to smexing were quite potent. However, they were also terribly sweet because hardened ex-thug Vinnie was a teddy bear who courted Grace affectionately. Her very own hero.Nice Girl was a compelling start to a new series by an up and coming indie author. I definitely look forward to seeing what happens next in the series with Brave Girl.Ratings Detail:Rating for female protagonist: 3★Rating for male protagonists: 3★Rating for secondary characters: 4★Steam Level: 4★Plot Viability: 3★General Storyline: 3★Story Ending: 3★Ease of Reading: 4★Book editing: 3★Cliffhanger: NoOverall rating: 3★Would I recommend this book: YesWould I continue the series: YesWould I read other books by this author: Yes