~Getting Lucky~

by Susan Andersen

      Heroine: short, voluptuous

       Tired of moving around all her life, gorgeous master chef Lily Morisette is ready to settle down in one place and pursue her dream of opening her own restaurant.  But achieving her goal will have to wait a little bit longer when she finds herself having to move one more time, as the owner of the house where she'd been renting a room unexpectedly returns home and decides to toss her out on the street.

       Marine recon Master Sergeant Zachariah Taylor was looking forward to relaxing at his own place during leave.  He certainly didn't expect to find a gold-digging squatter in his residence!  But there she was in all her curvy blonde beauty.  Surely she was up to no good, and had just latched on to his rich baby sister roommate in hopes of a free ride?  Why else would she keep Glynnis' current whereabouts a secret from him?

        But somewhere between their arguments over the legality of her renter's contract, and moments of sizzling attraction, Lily discovers a note left behind by Glynnis stating that she was on her way north to meet her new guy's family.  Steamed over the fact that he now has two gold diggers to protect his sister from, Lily falls even further out of charity with Zach when she declares that she'll be accompanying him for the long ride north in order to protect Glynnis from her brother's ire.

       Zach doesn't know what makes him crazier, his sole family member going AWOL or this very feminine, luscious bit of cupcake who insists on protecting his baby sister from him.  From him!?

 What worked for me:

      Lily seemed like a very sweet and savvy gal.  It was fun seeing her try to puncture the "blonde bimbo airhead" stereotype that the oh-so-sexy Zach kept wanting to cram her into.

      I liked the secondary romance between Jessica and her husband, and it was enjoyable watching Lily help bring poor mousy Jess out of her shell.

     Size-wise Lily was built a la Marilyn Monroe, who (not surprisingly) seems to be the prototype for bunches of books billed as being "plus-size" romances.

What didn't work for me:    

       I'm not a real fan of stories in which the hero and heroine are butting heads all the time.  A bit is ok, but the fact that it goes on for more than half of this book is too much for me, despite the validity of the big misunderstanding that prompts it all.

       I felt a bit at a loss because I had wandered in at the tail end of a trilogy.  The recurring characters didn't really click with me because I was meeting them for the first time instead of enjoying a nice reunion with them.

Overall:

      A solid read, especially if you enjoy having your hero and heroine firmly at odds with each other throughout most of the story.  There are a few good comic as well as dramatic moments to savor in this book, but it may not be humorous enough for some readers or suspense-filled enough for others.

Warning: This book features some steamy sex scenes and coarse language in it.

If you liked "Getting Lucky" you might also enjoy: "Love at Large", "Simply Sinful", "Some Girls Do", "Heaven in Your Eyes", "Lola Carlyle Reveals All", "Runaway Bay", "This Heart of Mine", "It Had to be You", "Walking After Midnight", "Blushing Pink", "Plum Girl", "Fast Women", "Welcome to Temptation", "Faking It", "Dear Cupid", "Too Much Temptation", or  "Say You're Mine".

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