Nothing to Lose

Unexpected Love #1

by Jenna Byrnes

Bailey Montgomery travels to the small town of Perry, Illinois, with the intention of cleaning her late mother's house out, selling it, and returning to Chicago as quickly as possible. She doesn't want nosy neighbours poking into her business, and she doesn't need the help of the incredibly sexy handyman who insists upon making repairs to the house.

But exactly what Bailey does need or want gets jumbled in her mind as the neighbours ingratiate themselves into her life, and Doug Kenny, the handyman, works his way into her bed and her heart.

This book has been released previously. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Total-e-bound
* * * *
Reader Advisory: This book was previously released at Total-E-Bound by the author under a different pen-name (Jamie Hill).

91 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Jenna Byrnes could use more cabinet space and more hours in a day. She’d fill the kitchen with gadgets her husband purchases off TV and let him cook for her to his heart’s content. She’d breeze through the days adding hours of sleep, and more time for writing the hot, erotic romance she loves to read.

Jenna thinks everyone deserves a happy ending, and loves to provide as many of those as possible to her gay, lesbian and hetero characters. Her favorite quote, from a pro-gay billboard, is “Be careful who you hate. It may be someone you love.”

For the latest news, visit Jenna’s website at http://www.jennabyrnes.com/

Reviews

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I wanted more relationship development. I didn’t like two conflicts.

UNEXPECTED LOVE: NOTHING TO LOSE by Jamie Hill.

STORY BRIEF:
Bailey is a magazine editor in Chicago. After her mother dies of cancer, Bailey spends a couple of weeks in a small town to sort through her mother’s things and sell the house. She meets the Kenny family. They were good friends to her mother Melissa and helped her during her illness. Mandy Kenny (a teenager) spends time helping Bailey sort through Melissa’s possessions. Mandy wants to become a writer or editor and sees Bailey as a mentor. Doug, Mandy’s single uncle, does carpentry work to fix things around the house. He offers to do some major repairs to make the house more sellable.

Bailey is a bitch. From the moment she meets Doug, she is rude, mean and insensitive. He’s there to help. She tells him in a nasty way that she doesn’t want his help. Shortly after that he starts kissing her, and she is lustfully drawn to him. They have lots of sex. Conflicts happen when her Chicago boyfriend visits and when she must decide what to do with her future.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is shorter than the typical romance novel. A bitchy personality could be entertaining, but in this case I found it unpleasant. I would have liked some relationship development. This was mostly fighting and sex. The ideas of caring, neighborly relationships and small town living were pleasant reading. I was annoyed with one of the conflicts – a pet peeve of mine – Bailey knew “she was wrong when she thought she needed to end things before either of them got hurt.” But she did it anyway. She’s still in town for awhile; they’re having a great time together, why stop? I also wasn’t happy with another conflict. The rest of the story was ok.

DATA:
Kindle count story length: 2304. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong/erotic, including rear door activity. Number of sex scenes: 10. Setting: Perry, Illinois. Copyright: 2007. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.