This is a great book for lovers of contemporary romance. Interestingly, the name of the book is not fully descriptive of what you will find in the book. In other words, my number one criticism is that the book could have actually used more "fooling around."
Julie finds her way to Eric during a time in her life when she has suffered emotional devastation. Eric offers her a financial opportunity that she can't pass up. Because Julie was at a crossroads in which she was trying to determine what to do with the remainder of her life, Eric's offer also comes at a good time for her. As for Eric, he is a complete jerk. A really cute one, but a jerk none the less. Eric is brooding and irritated by his life which has been diminished by a broken leg and a bunch of assistants who don't know how to do anything other than pander to him and get on his nerves. Eric thinks that Julie would make the perfect assistant but neither Eric nor Julie contemplates the extreme attraction between the two of them.
There is a lot of self-exploration going on in this book which readers who enjoy a more intricate plot will really get into. Julie is on a mission to discover whether her need to care for other people is because she has a kind heart or if there is some level of hiding out from The real world there. As for Eric, he is finally getting to see what his motivations are and what he actually wants to do with his life versus what he is simply driven to do. As Eric and Julie's attraction for each other grows, their desire to know one another grows which forces them to get to know their selves. Eric is also dealing with an issue with his daughter that forces him to be vulnerable and further open up to Julie.
There are times in the book where Julie and Eric's denial of their feelings for one another can get to be a little bit irritating. The romance writing was on the wall long before Julie and Eric were ready to read it. However, there is a strong connection between the characters, plenty of chemistry and a really well thought-out story line to carry the book. For those of you out there who like your erotic romance more than contemporary romance, this is not that. You are going to get more than halfway through this book before you get any of the steamy stuff and then it's pretty mild on the scale. Read the book for a really good story about self-discovery and second chances and you will enjoy the ride.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
I almost don't want to say/ask this but is it a bit "angsty"? From all their inner turmoil, it sounds like they have a ton to work through.
ReplyDeleteBUT you completely spelled out WHO this book is for so well!! Thank you for your awesome review!!!!!
Kristin it is a little angsty but not in a repetitive inner monologue way that I find really annoying. On a scale of 1-10, the angst level was probably a 6, a little more than average but nothing that will make you want to bang your head against a wall like some books.
DeleteThank you for your feedback, I'm more of an erotic romance fan but I know there are a lot of pure contemporary lovers out there.