Originally Posted for Herding Cats & Burning Soup

As much as I love the Kowalski's this one really just didn't work for me. From the lack of character development to the "romance", depressing secondary storylines to the glaring absence of the slightly insane family dynamic you can't help but love and wish you were a part of. It all lacked Stacey's usual humor and sweetness and what makes reading one of her books such an emotionally wonderful and satisfying experience.

Paige and Mitch were decent enough characters and their start had a lot of potential. He avoids putting down roots at all costs and is home just for a couple weeks to help with an injured brother when he meets Paige who is off men, fiercely independent and firmly planted in the small town he tries to avoid. There are some funny moments and smoldering looks there at the start but it just fizzles into a book that focuses more and more on sex for the sake of sex instead of the characters falling in love and growing as individuals.

There was a lot of telling in this book and not nearly enough showing. We constantly hear about Mitch's many, many conquests and how magnificent the man is in bed. And let me just say...EEWWWW. Who wants a hero that's spent time between nearly every pair of thighs in sight? Gleck! I mean, I know a lot of heroes have pasts and have gotten around but we're damn near beat over the head with how much Mitch got around and how it's Paige's turn to get her some good loving and then send him on his way. Very romantic, right? And for all that talk of his godlike sexual talents the intimate scenes are really lackluster and honestly not all that sexy or emotional.

Mitch and Paige felt just like what they were...friends with benefits and nothing more. I never felt them falling in love. There's a lot of inner thought's about how much they like the other. How sweet, caring and wonderful they are but you never actually SEE any of it or what makes them special to each other.

As for the secondary storylines neither really brought out the emotional response I'd imagine they were going for. There's a depressingly sad marriage breaking up because of a decade worth of lies. And a decades long feud that really had no merit since the woman blamed and hated the man for something he really wasn't responsible for.

What I found most disheartening was that after 280ish pages (yeah it's a short book) I really don't feel like I know Mitch or Paige. At all. I never got to the point where I felt invested in them and their future together. It was just a story to read and move on from. A complete opposite of the previous 3 books which are still near and dear to my heart after nearly 10 months. For a huge fan of the series this was a very big let down and aside from Stacey's name being scrawled across the cover I wouldn't believe it was written by the same author I've come to adore. I've got my fingers crossed the next book will bring us back to the feel and heart of the Kowalski family I've loved so much.