My Need to Read

Quick Take: A sweet and hot tale with likable protagonists. The mystery that drove the plot was a bit on the weak side, but the developing connection between the two main characters was enough to satisfy cravings for intrigue.Review:I can tell you from the get-go that the following review is not likely to be a great one. There are books that can incite strong reactions, either positive or negative. And then there are those that are pretty nice, but don't leave a lasting impression. This book, I must say, turned out to be the latter for me. It was enjoyable overall, had a lot of sizzle…but after finishing I wasn't struck by much.The title of this book is apt in many ways (I love it when a book's title has lots of depth!). The most obvious is that of the hero and heroine of the story, who are introduced to each other under fairly false pretenses. They spend much of the story learning more about what's behind all of the superficial layers. It's that particular aspect of the book that drew me in the most. The responsible, somewhat repressed Julie Tilling has a number of cute and daring interactions with the nominally outrageous (but inwardly sweet) Damon Corey…resulting in both steamy hot and delightfully charming moments. Both characters were interesting individually, which certainly cannot be said of most romances.I'm not going to lie…I was a bit underwhelmed by the element of the book involving the suspected murder of Julie Tilling's childhood friend. To me, it felt more like a plot device that was just there to give the two protagonists a reason to interact. The book is not very long to begin with, but I felt like the scenes and developments related to the initial premise (a one-woman investigation of a suicide that might not be what it seems) were in the background. Even the resolution of this thread seemed jumbled. This is perhaps not a book that one would read for its mystery elements.I'm hoping that the next books, which feature the remaining siblings in the Tilling family, are successful in making sisters Meghan and Dierdre more sympathetic. As it stands, those ladies are…well, they're kind of selfish jerks. ^_^ But that's just my personal prejudice, and has little to do with the quality of the book. As it stands, I do plan on reading on to find out what romantic adventures find their way to the Tilling sisters. And I would indeed recommend it to others.