Review: Captivating Romance with Believable Characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 23, 2010
Christina Crooks was nice enough to provide me with a review copy and I'm so glad she did!Ginnie, a puppeteer, lives in a dilapidated bungalow that quickly begins to literally fall down around her. Her landlord, Harry, happens by and rescues her, and from there we are launched into a tale of the complicated lives and histories of the two main characters. The characters are very deep, with unforgiven past hurts, both gun shy from former relationships yet undeniably attracted to each other.Choosing the occupation of a puppeteer for Ginnie added a unique twist of the book. I got the sense that Crooks really did her homework. It was easy to buy-in to Ginnie's passion for her work and realize the skill needed to perform it. Harry is a rich businessman still reeling from the effects of a break up with a vindictive ex. He has a big chip on his shoulder about money-hungry women, and questions if those are Ginnie's motives as well.The two characters are thrust together in unfortunate circumstances, and their attraction is soon undeniable. The bigger challenge they face is trusting each other and not allowing their past hurts to ruin their current relationship. The characters are multidimensional and believable, the writing and pacing is excellent. I was also happy to see that the sex scenes were erotic while still staying true to the characters' emotions. I give this 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.The only criticism I have is that I found the opening scene to be a bit too fast-paced and confusing for the amount of info I was supposed to absorb, but that's a minor complaint. Crooks is truly a gifted storyteller. I liked this even better than Thrill of the Chase and look forward to her next book.