Body Language by Suzanne Brockmann

Not all series romance can be winners, not even with Suzanne Brockmann's talent to back you up.

Clint McCade is heading home or better said to the only home he has really known. He has discovered that after many years of traveling around the world as a videographer / photographer his heart belongs where ever Sandy Kirk is and he is not wasting another moment. He heads out to tell his childhood friend that she is the one for him but gets a little surprise when he arrives.

Cassandra Kirk grew up on the wrong side of the tracks always yearning for more. She wanted everything the country club set had to offer and then some. But one thing she wanted above all else was the heart of her best friend McCade. He flew around the world from job to job and from skirt to skirt but he never saw her other than his best friend. Well now Sandy is leaving that love behind and pursuing something more real.

When McCade shows up at her door she confesses that she is finally in love but the guy has no clue she exists. McCade hides his disappointment in arriving too late to claim his own love and suggests to Sandy that he help her attract this man's attention. He says that her problem is all in the body language. She sends blaring signals to this guy that she is not interested. He suggests that she practice with him, pretending they are a couple and using her body language to reflect her interest in him.

Yeah, you can follow the premise from here. She realizes that she still has feelings for Clint, Clint thinks he is unworthy, yada, yada, yada. Writing was good, this is a Brockmann, but the plot was so used and old I could have stop reading half way through and I would have know how it ended.

Grade: C-
Format: eBook

Bartlett Bro. Series by Suzanne Brockmann

I've been on a bit of a Brockmann binge lately. Seems that many of her earlier titles are bing reissued and these two peaked my interest, so I picked them up. They definitely were not of her later caliber but these were originally issued ten years ago (three years before Unsung Hero) so I think we can cut her a break.

First in the series is Forbidden. Kayla Grey seeks out Cal Bartlett when she hears rumors that Liam, the man who'd wanted to marry her, is believed to be alive and held captive in the jungles of San Salustiano. When this city girl arrives in Montana the first thing she does is almost die. Caught in a freak snow storm she finds herself being rescued by the same man who she came searching for, unfortunately sparks fly before they realize who is who.

Cal doesn't let himself get carried away but after saving the life of the city slicker, the attraction is a bit too much for him. Having her almost naked in front of him and he touches her. Just enough to realize that it's not enough. When he discovers that she is the woman his little brother fell in love with and was to marry, he feels as guilty as if Liam was alive. Then on top of that the little lady decides to renew the spark of hope he once had that his brother had survived the bombing of the bus he was riding in. It has been two years and those wounds are just starting to heal, but this woman is threatening his sanity, because he can't lose his brother again.

I'm not so sure about this one. The big issue with this was that there was no real foundation for the love these two claim to have found. It was definitely lust. There was really no reason for her to love him. He started pushing her away as soon as he found out who she was. She had experienced a traumatic event when she was younger and that bonded her with Liam but there was nothing that I could see to warrant her great love with Cal except that they were in a dangerous place and in a stressful situation. The saving grace of the book was really the search for Liam. Trying to discover if the police were good or bad. Not knowing who to trust. I think Brockmann sharpened her suspense but flopped on the romance.

Grade: B-

Following Forbidden we get Liam's story in Freedom's Price. Last we saw of Liam he is recovering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and just opening up. We find out that he has completely shut down after making some initial strides in his recovery. He has written a book on the atrocities of the war that held him imprisoned but he has not written about his own personal experiences. Those are the experiences that are driving him mad.

When Liam finds himself serving as a chaperon/guardian to the girl that saved his life in the jungle, he is not sure that he can confront those memories. Marisala was always his shining light, a brave 16 year old at the time she has now become an enticing woman. She has come to Boston to attend college but after a screw up with the dorms she finds herself living in Liam's apartment.
Marisala fell in love with the American journalist the first time she saw him in her father's house. Many years have past since that first encounter and she is no longer a child. She lead a revolution in her country, saw things that no child should ever witness, and now she is expected to assume the role of a meek young woman who should find herself an ordinary husband.

This one was better than the first. Brockmann put some meat in this story with Liam dealing with his trauma and Marisala trying to adjust to life after a war. These two were made for each other. The fear that had been pounded into Liam could only be overcome with the courage of a revolutionary leader like Marisala.The support system she brings to Liam enables him to recover from his trauma and allows him to love free of the torment that had haunted him for many years.
Would have liked to visit with Kayla and Cal but there is just so much you can squeeze into 250 pages and it did not deter from the story at all.

Grade: B

Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann

I have been looking forward to starting this series for a very long time.
The first time I listened to Brockmann was when I picked up Flashpoint and I realized I stepped into the middle of a fantastic series with characters already established. I loved listening to the books that followed until I stopped myself and decided to start from square one. Unfortunately not all the books are available in Audiobook so I collected the first five in paperback. Last month I found the first in the series in Audio format and jumped at the chance to pick it up from my library.

Tom Paoletti is commander of Seal Team 16 and has suffered a head injury that has him on forced medical leave for 30 days. He takes advantage of the time and goes 'home' to visit his great uncle Joe. Tom grew up with Joe in Baldwin Bridge, MA where he earned the reputation of being a bad boy/delinquent. His visit starts off on the wrong foot from the moment he gets off his plane since he catches a glimpse of, who he believes, is a world renowned terrorist. Between believing that his injury has lead him to some serious hallucinations and believing that the terrorist is real he heads out in pursuit but loses the suspect. Needless to say his superior is not too happy with him and attributes the sighting to his injuries. He doesn't believe so but puts it to the side and heads home, where things don't get any better when he runs smack into Kelly Ashton, the one girl that has always made him feel more than what he felt comfortable feeling.

Kelly has been commuting between her practice as a pediatrician in Boston and Baldwin's Bridge since her father was diagnosed with Terminal Cancer. Her father is Joe Paoletti's best friend and is one of the riches men in town. He has had a rough relationship with everyone in his life and Kelly hopes to give him an opportunity to make amends before he leaves them. When she encounters Tom she really has no idea what to say. He had walked out on her, breaking her heart after sharing 3 unforgettable kisses the night before he disappeared from her life, 16 years ago. She has gotten over him, or so she says, but wouldn't mind exploring the physical side of the attraction which is obviously still vibrant in both of them. She will take the sex but this time, her heart won't be offered.

The book does not have a dull moment although I will say that the World War II subplot where we learn about the rivalry between Joe and Charles Ashton (Kelly's father) didn't do it for me. A similar subplot is carried through many of books in this series and is great for those that like to explore that era. It really didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book since it made us get to know Joe and Charles and to understand the bond of a friendship that lasted 60 years.

There is still another storyline in the romance of Mallory Paolettti and David Sullivan. David is the geek comic book artist that sees Mallory (Tom's niece) for who she really is and not the sex kitten everyone makes her out to be, She is a bit reluctant to give David the time of day since he has dweeb written all over his face (I kept visualizing Mac boy - Justin Long) but after he proves he is made of sterner stuff, she understands that she is doing to him what everyone has always done to her, judge her by what she looks like.

Then the final subplot, the terrorist attack. When the final confrontation came about I found it to go fairly quick but it did not take away from the edge of your seat action. Everyone was involved! Even Charles and his walker! Great start to what I know is a fantastic series!

Grade: B+
Format: Audiobook

Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann

I'm down to the wire on this series. Only Identity Unknown is left on the TBR pile, although I have a feeling that it will go forever unread since it's OOP (out of print) and I don't have it. But I was lucky to get Forever Blue and as always, it didn't disappoint!

I had gotten to know Blue McCoy over the other books in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series. Blue was Joe Cat's swim buddy during BUDs training. This books was to be read as the second in the series, after Prince Joe, but since it takes place outside of the SEALs center of command I didn't feel as I had read it out of order.

Blue goes back to his hometown for the wedding of his step-brother Gerry to his high shool sweetheart Jenny but when Gerry shows up dead, Blue becomes that main suspect.

Lucy Tait has had a crush on Blue since he saved her from being assaulted in high school. He was the one that was out of her league. Well he is back in town and as a police officer it's her role to stay impartial to his guilt or innocence but when she suspects that the cover up to Gerry's murder goes up the ranks of the police department, she cannot stand aside and watch Blue go down for a crime she is sure he did not commit.

I loved getting to know Lucy and Blue better. In a later book Lucy gets seriously injured and I realized that she was a strong character and I really needed to see where she was coming.
Another high point in this book was when Blue realizes that he is being idolized by Lucy. He is able to open up and show him that he is not a hero but a man of flesh and blood.

This one is not one that should be shrugged off and left unread. This series is a must read not just for Brockmann fans but for anyone that is looking to meet some serious Alpha Males!

Grade: A
Format: ebook

The Admiral's Bride by Suzanne Brockmann

This month's TBR Challenge was to read a book that had some military theme to it or law enforcement personalities. This was in honor of Memorial Day.

Title: The Admiral's Bride
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Year published: 1999
Why did you get this book? I have been reading the Tall, Dark and Dangerous Series for the last few months and had decided to skip this title but the library purchased it when it was reissued last month, so… I picked it up.
Do you like the cover? Absolutely! Looks wonderful.
Did you enjoy the book? Absolutely. I thought I would not like it because in a previous book I had met Jake's first wife Daisy but Brockmann is VERY talented and didn't make me feel as if Jake's feelings for Zoe was a betrayal to Daisy.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Definitely not new to me. She is an auto-buy.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's not mine… I have to return it to the library.

Anything else?

This is the seventh book in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series. We first met Admiral Jake Robinson in Hawken's Heart. He was the long time lover to Crash's Aunt Daisy. Between Daisy and Jake, they raised Billy. The love story between Jake and Daisy was tenderly told in that book and I decided I could not see him with another woman, so I decided to skip this title all together, but the book almost fell in my lap and so I gave it a try.

It's been three years since Daisy died and Jake is trying to live without a piece of his heart. He doesn't dwell on his loss but he realizes that she was the love of his life and there will be no other. Until Zoe.

Dr. Zoe Lange is the daughter of a soldier that Jake rescued in Vietnam. She works with the Agency as a biohazard engineer. When a lethal toxin is stolen from a military lab, she is called in as a consultant on an operation to retrieve the powdery substance. She never thought she would ever work with her hero, Jake Robinson.

The assignment was to infiltrate an anti-government, white supremacist cult-like compound. Jake would first go in as a military fugitive and then bring in Zoe as his wife. She knew what the compound looked like and how to dispose of it, which is why she was involved at all.

The attraction between these two was present from the get go but Zoe was much younger than Jake and he struggled with his guilt over desiring another woman that was not Daisy. I think this guilt and the struggle that Jake went through before giving into his feelings, before acknowledging his love for Zoe, helped me get past the fact that he was moving on after Daisy died.

This was a great installment in this series. My favorite is still Hawken's Heart but this one definitely held its own.

Grade: B

Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann

This is the last of the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series. Not the last I will read, like I mentioned before, since I plan on eventually tackling Blue McCoy's story Forever Blue, but the last book that was published for this series. Brockmann says she plans on giving us more with the characters she has introduced in the last few books (Risotti, Lee and Thomas) but it's been a while (this one was published in 2003) and we really have not seen this yet.

Night Watch is the story of Wes Skelly, best friend and swim buddy to Bobby Taylor (Taylor's Temptation) and we have seen in the last three books that Wes has had the unfortunate luck to fall in love with Lana Quinn (whom we met in Get Lucky). Lana is married to 'Wizard' also known as the 'Mighty Quinn' of Alpha Team Two. Quinn is not much of a husband to Lana (he is unfaithful) but for some reason I really didn't feel much sympathy for her.

Wes had some time off and Lana asked him to look into the security system of her sister, who apparently is a movie star and is getting stalked, so he heads off to LA. While he is there Cowboy and Melody (Everyday Average Jones) set him up on a blind date with Melody's sister Brittney.

We met Brittney in Everyday Average Jones as the live-in divorced sister of Melody. She had adopted Andy who, at the time, was a 13 year old trouble maker. Now, Andy is 19 and is in college. They have moved to LA to pursue his college career and she is trying to get her degree in nursing.

Britt and Wes hit it off right from the get go. She is spunk and no nonsense and he is delighted with her matter of fact attitude. She knows he's hung up on another woman and accepts the relationship as temporary.

That is, until that matter of fact attitude makes him face some glaring problems in his life and he realizes this woman was meant for him. When Lana suddenly becomes available, Wes needs to decide where his heart lies.

I really loved Wes. He was all bouncy energy and cuteness. As the shortest man on the team he got his share of ribbing and we see that it doesn't always fly over his head. He also needs some serious therapy that Brittney was willing to give. Britt was what this man needed. No nonsense and to the point but also with a softer side that empathized with him. She never really felt sorry for him, more on the side of supporting him as he shed the layers of his soul to her.

Grade: B

Taylor's Temptation by Suzanne Brockmann

I must say the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series is the best series I have read in a long time and will definitely be on my favorite reads for this year. This is next to last book of the series with Night Watch being the last one. From the whole series I have not read Forever Blue (which I have in ebook format and might read later), The Admiral's Bride (which was reissued this month) and Identity Unknown (which is no where to be found). Honestly, I will not be looking for these last two books since we really don't get very attached to these heroes.

In the Admiral's Bride we read Jake Robinson's story. Jake was the Admiral that Crash was accused of killing (obviously he was not dead) in Hawken's Heart. He had lost the love of his life in that book and, honestly, I just can not picture him loving Daisy for so long and then marrying someone else. I want to live with the illusion that he could never love another like Daisy.

In Identity Unknown, we read Mitch Shaw's story. Who's Mitch Shaw, is my question. If he was mentioned in any other book, except in passing, I missed it. So, I could care less if he finds love. :)

I will eventually read Forever Blue because I really loved Lucy in Get Lucky.

Now, onto Taylor's Temptation. Bobby Taylor goes off to Boston as a favor to Wes (his Swim Buddy and best friend), his mission is to stop Colleen, Wes' baby sister, from participating in a earthquake disaster relief that is headed to a terrorist country. This is a big favor to ask Bobby because since Colleen was 19 Bobby has been attracted to her. He has done his best to stay far, far away from her but when Wes pleads for him to intervene, he cannot a good excuse to deny him.

At 23 Colleen is ten years younger than Bobby but she has had a crush on him since meeting him at 13. When he shows up without her brother in tow she sees it as the perfect opportunity to seduce him. And when she discovers that Bobby actually wants her, she becomes as relentless as ever. Maybe a bit too relentless.

I liked the book but in truth this one was my least favorite. I really loved the scene where Bobby is in his hotel room struggling with his feelings and he says them out loud while Wes is trying to bang the door down. It was so heart wrenching. After that, I had a hard time liking Colleen. I can understand her 'in your face' attitude but she was just too mercenary in her attempt to seduce Bobby and she knew he was struggling with his loyalties to his best friend.

Bobby was what got the grade for me because I didn't care for Colleen much. I also found that the book was too censored. I think Brockmann should have put the explicit language she referred to and not censor it out. It felt a bit incomplete because of this.

Oh, by the way, this was the best cover I have seen in the series! Awesome!

Grade: B

Get Lucky by Suzanne Brockmann

Well, I'm down to the wire on this series. Just a few more to go. I was very lucky (no pun intended) to get my hands on this story. I read it in ebook format because it has been out of print for VERY, VERY long. I believe that it is scheduled to be republished like most of the books in this series but there is no time frame at this date. So, I do count myself lucky.

Luke 'Lucky' O'Donlon has always been the playboy of Alpha Squad Ten. He was the Adonis of the group and of course, all the women fall at his feet. When he has to give up an assignment to attend his sisters wedding, he thinks his luck has abandoned him but when he gets assigned to a special task force and is saddled with a reporter in his team, he KNOWS his luck has abandoned him.

Sydney Jameson is a freelance writer who had the misfortune of running into a serial rapist as he exited the apartment complex she lives in. He had just attacked her neighbor. When police arrive she threatens to write an expose if she is not put on the task force to capture the man who did this to her young friend.

These later books from the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series have included some type of suspense/adventure in them which I really didn't think was needed until I started reading them. The first few books are focused on just the romance but in the last two I've read (Hawken's Heart and now, Get Lucky) the added subplot of the chase to get the bad guy really made the story more robust, something I thought impossible in a book of such short content (248 pages).

Something else I really loved about this book in particular was seeing all the gang together. The Alpha Squad Ten with all their significant others were there and it just added to the pleasure of reading this one. And, oh how the mighty have fallen! To see Lucky finally meet his true love was fabulous! I guess I'm not alone in finding him the most charismatic of the whole squad.

Grade: B+
Format: ebook

Hawken's Heart by Suzanne Brockmann

The sixth story in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series, Hawken's Heart was originally called It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. When the book was reissued in 2005 Brockmann requested that the book be renamed to her originally intentioned title. I have to say that Hawken's Heart is a much better title.

We met William 'Crash' Hawken during his stint with Alpha Team Ten's training op with the FinCOM agents in Harvard's Education. He was the mysterious, quiet fellow that swept in and out of places silently. He was Cowboy Jones' swim buddy but they got assigned to separate teams when Cowboy replaced Frisco in Alpha Ten's squad.

The book is broken up in two stories, the present and the future. We have to know what happened in the past to understand Crash's relationships in the future. The previous Christmas, Crash lost the one woman that meant everything to him. His cousin, Daisy and Admiral Jake Robinson, raised Crash and he finds out she is dying of a malignant brain tumor. When they request he spend this last Christmas with them, he can't refuse even if it means getting close to Nell Burns, the personal assistant to Daisy whom attracts Crash like no one has.

It's during that time that Nell falls in love with Billy (Crash's family nickname), but he remains detached and after a night together, he pushes her away.

A year later she sees him on TV, accused of killing Jake, who was like a father to him. She knows that it's impossible and rushes to his side but Crash is determined to keep her away from the conspiracies that are surrounding him. The same conspiracies that have him framed for the murder of the Admiral.

This was the BEST of all the TDD series that I have read. It had suspense and romance and heart wrenching heroes. Crash was more emotionally damaged than Frisco but really, without a cause. He had been neglected as a child but he just closed himself off from the world while Frisco embraced life until his accident.

Nell was a determined little bugger and smart too. I think Brockmann wanted to paint her as a frightened little girl but she didn't turn out that way at all. She chipped and chipped until she broke down Crash's defenses and wiggled her way into his heart.

Wonderful read!!

Grade: A

Everyday, Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann

Backtracking a bit on my way to reading Suzanne Brockmann's Tall Dark and Dangerous series, I picked up Everyday, Average Jones which is the fourth book in the series and the story of Lt. Harlan "Cowboy" Jones. It's so weird how Brockmann keeps these stories so separate from each other, not giving away anything that happened in the previous books.

The book starts as the Alpha Squad inserts itself on a rescue mission. They are picking up three hostages at a US embassy. One of the hostages is Melody Evans, who has disguised herself as a man to avoid being tortured or abused. When the team has to split up, Harvard and Cowboy team up to take Melody with them to safety. Melody immediately bonds with Cowboy with an underlining of attraction that blooms as soon as they reach safety.

Jump seven months after the fact and we have Alpha Squad getting ready for the FinCOM/SEAL counterterrorist training that is the backdrop to Harvard's romance. Since the team has been relocated to Virginia for a while, Cowboy decides to call up Melody, who lives in Massachusetts, regardless of the fact that she asked him to never contact her again (this after spending 6 nights of pleasure in his arms). He has not been able to get her out of his mind and has spent the time as a lost puppy searching for home, so this assignment gives him the perfect excuse to call her.

Melody has also been remembering Cowboy, but for a whole different reason. She is pregnant. When Cowboy calls she has no idea what to do and tells him to basically stay away, but Cowboy has other plans and shows up in Appleton, MA to find a very large, Melody. Being teh guy that he is, he is determined to do the right thing and marry her but she puts the stop to that idea. Now he has to find a way to convince Melody that he is just your Everyday, Average Guy. Not even in his dreams is this guy average! LOL!

The story was cute and Jones was one of the dreamiest of the team, but he also shows how very young he is. He really didn't want to get married and it was obvious that Melody knew it, so she was in no way going to let him sacrifice himself. But them she was also being pig headed by not wanting him involved in any aspect of her life. That was not going to happen! So the back and forth got on my nerves a bit, but it was still a sweet story.

Grade: B-

Harvard's Education by Suzanne Brockmann

So I'm reading these out of order... So what! I'm brave I can do this. Ugh! This one was from the library so I had to read it sooner than later and I just couldn't wait for book four in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series Everyday Average Jones to arrive from my swap. Since the other two books I had read (Prince Joe & Frisco's Kid) from this series were good standalones, I started this book with hopes that the trend continued. It was close enough. There was a blurb about Cowboy (the hero in book four) but not enough to actually spoil the book for me when I get around to reading it.

This one is about the only African American in the Alpha Ten Squad, Senior Chief Daryl "Harvard" Becker. He is part of an initiative to create a FinCom/Seals counter terrorist team in which PJ Richards will take part.

PJ has had to deal with men getting in her way all her life and when she lands a spot among the four FinCom agents to take part of this operative she is ready to deal with everyone questioning her ability to be part of the team. The other three finks (as the Seals call the agents) are all prissy little men but PJ has had to prove her merit too many times to be substandard.

Harvard has to deal with his adverse feelings of having a woman on the team as well as his growing attraction to PJ. But when PJ proves to be able to hold her own against the men and pulls out in front of the leader of the finks, she earns the grudging respect of the Seals. This doesn't make it any easier for Harvard to put aside his protective feelings for her as they go into a combat situation.

I had just one real problem with this one and it was with PJ herself. The chip she carried on her shoulder was so large it made it difficult to relate to her in a more human manner. She always expected to be under minded and she always expected a twist in the men's respect. This just became old and tiresome. Harvard was a complete gentlemen at all times (yes, even when the time came to consummate their relationship) and he never denied his issues with having her on the field, yet when push came to shove, he was able to put those feelings on the back burner in the best interest of the team.

As always Brockmann does not disappoint. This series is well worth picking up. Now I just have to wait for Cowboy's story before moving on to Taylor's.

Grade: B

Frisco's Kid by Suzanne Brockmann

This one is the third book in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous (TDD) series. The second book is called Forever Blue, but I didn't have that one in the TBR pile so I moved onto this one. I'm happy to report that, although this was part of the TDD series, it was very much a stand alone because there was barely a mention of the other guys in the Alpha Squad team, which was very nice.

During Prince Joe, we hear that Frisco is severely injured in the line of duty and we now encounter Frisco, 5 years after the incident, struggling with his fate and not liking it.

When he is discharged from the VA hospital where he was getting physical therapy Frisco rages at the world and in particular his new neighbor, Mia Summerton. Mia is a high school teacher who wants to dislike Lt. Alan Francisco but when his niece is abandoned on his doorstep by her drunken mother, she just cannot hate the man that shows the small child such compassion.

In this book of self discovery, we fall in love with Frisco, who is brave enough to admit he is not Superman. I admit I have a soft spot for tortured heroes and Frisco fits the bill to a T. All his life he has related being a SEAL with his self worth and now that he can no longer be on active duty he feels he is nothing.

The thing I enjoyed most about this one was that he did not pull himself out of his misery for anyone but himself. He might have had some help recognizing his worth from Mia and Natasha (his niece) but he stopped the pity party for himself, and I love him for that.

Although this was part of the TDD series, it was very much a stand alone because there was barely a mention of the other guys in the Alpha Squad team, which was very nice.

Grade: B+

Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann

I'm thinking that Brockmann is just plain great at what she does, regardless of the length of the book. This is the other Navy SEAL series that Brockmann writes. I discovered this talented writer when I picked up Flashpoint from the library as an audiobook.
I have read every book after Flashpoint and in truth, sometimes I feel cheated from enjoying them to my fullest because Brockmann usually explores subromances in her full length novels, so if you miss one of the first novels you tend to miss some background of the current romance. Not so with the category romance series (Tall, Dark and Dangerous).

Prince Joe is the first book of the series but it did not lay ground work for the next book, which is a relief since I don't have the next book (I have the one that follows). Anyway... Joe Catalanotto is a dead ringer for Prince Tedric, who is making a US tour and has had an assassination attempt made. Joe is brought to stand in his place until the assassins are found and Veronica St. John is the person who is going to transform this New Jersey boy into royalty.

I like how Brockmann lets the romance build without rushing it but the misunderstandings were getting to the point where they were annoying, Too much of the tension between the couple was based on the misconception each of them had about the other and their own insecurities just fed it. This really took away from a really sweet and romantic story. I loved the scene when Joe visits the sick child at the hospital and then breaks down. It gave him such a human side and made him even more adorable. The secondary characters were also well written and makes you look forward to reading their story.

Grade: B