Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 9/16/14
Reviewed by Anne
130 pages
Tim is a paramedic who rushes through life at high speed, not really connecting to anyone. That keeps him from connecting to anyone, and that keeps him from being hurt. Sarah savors each moment of life, and when she sees something she likes, she goes for it. So when Sarah sees Tim, sparks fly. When Tim slows down to spend time with Sarah, it cracks some of his armor, and he’s not quite sure what to do with that.
Tim and Sarah are unique characters I enjoyed reading about. It took me a while to really get engaged in the story, though. It was a little too easy to put down for about the first half of the story. Once it kicked in, though, it was great. The big gesture at the end of the story was pretty awesome and left me feeling like these two really have a chance of making their relationship work.
Anne Calhoun writes great sex, and this book is no exception! There was a great balance in this short story of just enough secondary characters to make the story feel complete – it’s not just the two main characters in a vacuum. At the same time, the story is focused on Tim and Sarah without trying to squeeze anything else in, and I appreciated that.
Altogether, it was a very good story, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy a really hot contemporary story.
I will say that I struggled just a bit with this story. At times I reread lines or paragraphs to try to understand what was happening. This wasn’t an issue with physical scenes, but with the thoughts of the main characters. It left me feeling like I wasn’t quite smart enough to understand the book. I’m curious to know if anyone else ever has that feeling while reading a story. It happens to me sometimes with Mary Ann Rivers, too. I can tell that something is implied, but I don’t know what. Unfortunately, that really pulls me out of the story.
Trivia: This story is set in New York City. There’s a scene where Tim takes Sarah to the Highline Park, a park created by renovating an abandoned elevated train line. It sounded really cool, and shortly after I finished it, I came across an article in the New York Times detailing the opening of the third section of the park. I love that books leave me feeling familiar with a place I’ve never been! You can check it out here:
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