If I could give 3 1/2 stars I would. The book itself was pretty good. I remember Jean-Luc as a minor character in an earlier novel in this series, and it was interesting to give the fashion designer his own story. That said, I felt that Sparks didn't quite rise to the challenge in this one.

For the most part the story was good, though it seems to be part of a trend I've noticed lately. Lots of sexual tension with little payoff. This may sound odd, but when I'm reading a romance novel, I'd usually like a good sex scene or two in there. And when the characters have been dancing around each other for most of the book, I expect that when they finally get together the pages should set on fire. The sexual tension in this book is great - lots of longing, lots of hot kisses and almost-getting-into-bed. But when they actually made it there, the resulting sex scene took about a page and a half and felt kind of phoned in.

And man do these people like to wince. Almost every page, "He winced." or "She winced." When I notice it so much that it distracts me from the story, it's time to dial it back.