Isn't It Romantic

by Jill Shalvis

I have been waiting for this story since I read Smart and Sexy. Maddie and Brody. The tension rolled off of them in every scene, no matter how brief their appearance. Then came Strong and Sexy and my fascination and curiosity about their story grew. So I sat there, holding the book in my hands, thoughtfully stroking the cover. I was almost afraid to open it, fearful of being disappointed somehow. Now, I had no doubt whatsoever that the writing would be good, as I always enjoy Jill’s writing. I don’t know what it was, the anticipation somehow? I took a deep breath and opened to page one.

The man pulled up in a rumbling, bad boy Camaro like he owned his world, and Maddie had good reason to know he did.
Brody West owned his world all right, and completely rocked hers.

I let my breath out. It was going to be good, excellent in fact. Those two sentences summed up Maddie’s feelings for Brody perfectly. He had the unerring ability to make her mad, frustrated as hell, and inexplicitly drawn to him. She didn’t know why. He was stubborn, stingy with money, overbearing, sexy as hell, and, well the things he made her feel. Things she had no right to be feeling now that she was leaving Sky High Air, the company that she had helped build, her life and friends. But leave it she must, for her twin sister Leena needed her help. Needed her to put in force The Plan that they had decided upon years ago, to go away and start a new life far from their Uncle Rick and Stone Cay as they could. Of course Brody wasn’t going to let her escape, not since that kiss and his strong attraction to her. Maddie could make him mad, stir things up inside that he’d rather not deal with. While Maddie had come from a life of luxury, empty as it was, Brody had grown up mostly on the streets, fighting for everything he had. It wasn’t until he met Noah and Shayne that his dreams of flying began to come to fruition, and now his family consisted of his friends, their wives, and Maddie. Always Maddie. Independent, intelligent, bossy, beautiful Maddie. And he wasn’t about to let her disappear from his life any more than Maddie was going to involve Brody in her troubles, expose him to danger. So what else are two stubborn people going to do? Yes, fall in love, face the bad guys and save the day.

I’m not going to belabor the point that Jill Shalvis is a gifted writer, that she has this innate ability to create characters that come alive on the page. I’m just going to say that once again she has written a book with three dimensional characters, full thought out plot lines, and sub-plots that will keep you riveted. As is not unusual for Ms. Shalvis, her secondary characters of Leena and Ben are interesting, add to the texture of the story and are brilliantly portrayed, evident by the fact that the one thing I am disappointed with is the fact that we don’t get more of their story.

I give this 5 stars.