Review: Another Success for Patricia Watters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 27, 2011
I loved Patricia Watters' contemporary romance, Adversaries and Lovers (A&L;).  For anyone who is a fan of Robin Kaye, Watters is a must read.  Deep characterizations, family drama and the fresh location of Portland, Oregon had me clinging to every page.The story is a classic... rich, stoic hunk who keeps women at arm's length.  Ben Stassen is a sportswear scion and real estate developer who likes to cook (does Nike's Phil Knight have a sexy grandson?).  And the heroine, Kate O'Connor, is an up-and-coming star at Boswell Advertising (a thinly veiled Wieden + Kennedy?) determined to put the kibosh on Ben's plans to gentrify her grandmother's Rose City neighborhood of Sellwood.She'll stop at nothing to save the family home built board by board, nail by nail and filled with memories.  And Ben will not let anyone get in the way of progress, especially not the comely Kate who he finds himself kissing on an all-too-regular basis - despite their constant sparring.My only misgiving was finding out that Kate is a virgin!  IT shocked me because she's too feisty and the sexual tension sizzles...Other than that one minor eyebrow raise, the story deepens beautifully and the dialogue rips right along as Kate and Ben lock horns.  Plus there's a superb twist using Kate's grandmother and Ben's granddaddy Henry to make "A&L;" a fun, quick read with loads of rich details.