review 1: This is my first cari quinn book and I am now beating myself up for not reading her sooner! Sam is a romantic at heart. While Rory likes to keep things casual. I heart Sam! And Rory is also too funny! One of my favourite scenes in the book involves the word 'tree trunk'. I giggled like a schoolgirl reading it. I like how their romance unfolded throughout the book. It felt real and poignant.And I love a book that ends with a nice epilogue. It left me utterly satisfied.I'm definitely hunting down more cari quinn books. review 2: My Review:Okay, you read the story overview, right? If not, stop right now and go back and read that bit up above. I'll wait for you here. Okay, you get that this is not a fluffy story with bunnies and rainbows, but it does have it's fun ... moreand light moments...even a fuzzball of a kitten, so it's not all depressing. In fact, surprisingly enough, it's not really depressing at all. It's more enlightening and thought-provoking. Am I talking in abstract enough? Yes, okay on to the review.Rory is that girl. You know, the one that hangs out with the guys and fits right into their world. In fact, Sam & Rory have been corresponding via email for over 2 years and their correspondence has developed into friendly chit-chat about sports, cars, etc. It never even occurs to Sam that Rory is a girl. So he is shocked when she calls to offer condolences about the loss of his wife and she has this sexy voice that immediately turns him on. He wasn't even sure that part of him worked anymore after the grief and loss that have been his life for the past two years. But there is Rory and she is so unlike anyone else and I loved her character for it. She says exactly what she thinks. She doesn't have any kind of filter between her brain and her mouth and it gets her in trouble all the time. But that aspect of her is something that Sam needs in his life. He talks about the fact he's been living in this shell that is his life....she immediately starts chipping away at that shell with her personality and attitude. I don't know how to even explain how the dynamics in this book work, but they work so well. These characters are amazing and the way that Cari has written this romance is just gorgeous and so unexpected.Sam is a huge, bulky, buff guy...6'4" and he works out all the time. But he's drowning in his own sorrow, grief, and guilt. Things are not as they seemed on the surface with his wife and he regrets so much about that. He knows that he's in a bad place, but he doesn't know how to get himself out of it. All he knows is that Rory helps. She's good for him and he's incredibly attracted to her. Regardless of that, he's so honest with her and himself about where he's at mentally. He refuses to do something that's going to hurt her. He is not going to have that kind of relationship again, so they form a friendship...with a LOT of sexual tension...hehe (that part of this story is INCREDIBLY HOT!)I love everything about this book. I loved these two characters and thought Cari wrote them incredibly well. There are extremely complex dynamics going on here and I couldn't see how she was going to straighten them all out into a romance/relationship that works, but she did and she wrote it brilliantly. The more I read the more of Cari's work, the more I marvel at her amazing story telling abilities. This is another fabulous book!! less
