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Ex-high school cheerleader Natalie Cooper could once shake her pom-poms with the best of them. But she's paid for all that popularity—her husband's run off with what's left of their money and a twenty-year-old bimbo named Tiffany. Leaving Natalie to manage a photo store and having to see some pictures she, well, really shouldn't.
Then she comes toe-to-manly chest with Blake Junger. Exiled to a remote cabin in Truly, Idaho, Blake wants nothing to do with anyone. Instead, he's determined to struggle with his demons and win—all on his own. But the last thing he needs is Natalie distracting him with her luscious curves and breaking down the barriers of his heart.
Genre: contemporary romance
Publishing date: August 2014
Mature content: yes
Review: I read this book years ago, when it was first published, an then promptly forgot about it (which sort of sums up this review...). Recently I saw it recommended in Goodreads and downloaded it again. A few pages into the book, I had the strange feeling I had read it before, especially because I don't recall ever having one of the main characters in a book being so rude to a child. That was the trigger that made me go back and review my Amazon orders from a few years back. Still, because I didn't really remember the rest of the story, I decided to re-read it anyway.
What can I say? Definitely not one of Rachel Gibson's best efforts. Not even close. As romances go, it's hot and sexy. But the characters? Not so much. And its not the fact that Blake behaves like a jerk for about half of the book. That I could even chalk it up to his addiction. And an author that makes you hate a characters is as good as one that makes you love it (the worse that can happen in a book, in my opinion, is for the readers to be indifferent).
No, my problem with What I Love About You is the inconsistency. Blake can be terribly mean to a 5 year old, and then help an old lady at the grocery store. I never could make up my mind if the has the good or he bad guy. And I also never understood how Natalie could fall in love with Blake after talking to him maybe half a dozen times, most of those while he was being incredibly rude. For a single mother raising a child and badly burned from her previous marriage, I just didn't get it. And other than a basic physical attraction, there doesn't seem to be a lot between anyway them for most of the book.
So, yes the sex scenes (and there are several of them) are hot, but the rest of the story is lacking consistency and credibility. Read it if you have lots of time on your hands. Otherwise skip it altogether, as there are lots of much better contemporary romances out there.
What can I say? Definitely not one of Rachel Gibson's best efforts. Not even close. As romances go, it's hot and sexy. But the characters? Not so much. And its not the fact that Blake behaves like a jerk for about half of the book. That I could even chalk it up to his addiction. And an author that makes you hate a characters is as good as one that makes you love it (the worse that can happen in a book, in my opinion, is for the readers to be indifferent).
No, my problem with What I Love About You is the inconsistency. Blake can be terribly mean to a 5 year old, and then help an old lady at the grocery store. I never could make up my mind if the has the good or he bad guy. And I also never understood how Natalie could fall in love with Blake after talking to him maybe half a dozen times, most of those while he was being incredibly rude. For a single mother raising a child and badly burned from her previous marriage, I just didn't get it. And other than a basic physical attraction, there doesn't seem to be a lot between anyway them for most of the book.
So, yes the sex scenes (and there are several of them) are hot, but the rest of the story is lacking consistency and credibility. Read it if you have lots of time on your hands. Otherwise skip it altogether, as there are lots of much better contemporary romances out there.
Happy Tuesday,
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