Sweet Spot (Bakery Sisters Series #2) Book

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release: August 2008

How does Susan Mallery do it? Her stories interest me, suck me in, make me think, spit me out smiling, and then leave me hungry for the next! The heroine of "Sweet Spot", Nicole, was introduced in the first book of this series, "Sweet Talk". I really didn't like Nicole! She was snarky, bad-tempered, and whiny. I just couldn't see how even Susan Mallery could make her likable. Well, darn it, she did it. As I read Nicole's story, I began to understand the whys and hows of her behavior. And, even though there were still times I wanted to kick her into next week, she turned out to be someone I'd really love to have as a friend.

Nicole has some pretty good reasons to be unhappy. She was forced to accept too much responsibility too early in her life. Her future in the family business was mapped out for her almost from the cradle. She became the mother figure for her younger sister and pretty much raised her through rebellions and tantrums. She's always been the responsible one. In the last year, she's had two surgeries and caught her younger sister in bed with her soon-to-be-ex-husband. She's tired of the pitying looks and being responsible. So she cooks up a plan with one of her gorgeous, sexy customers. She will be his strings-free sex kitten and he'll play her adoring, infatuated boyfriend. All she has to do is keep her heart behind those tall, hard walls and she'll be fine. Right?

Hawk's life is on cruise control. He's young, well off, and charming…and he knows it! He's also a widower with a 17-year-old daughter, a job he loves, and women throw themselves at him all the time. He doesn't need a relationship. He loved his wife and dotes on his daughter. His job as a high school coach keeps him in shape, close to his daughter, and working with the game he loves. And then…he meets a woman he can't charm. She somehow gets under his skin, but he knows if he can just 'have her' a few times, life will go back to normal. Right?

Whew. Do these two need some counseling or what? They don't sound likable, do they? Umm hmm, just keep reading. The sexual tension between these two is sizzling and non-stop. But as they learn more about each other and become more involved in each other's lives, something strange happens. They actually like each other…even without sex! There are some fairly intense situations in this book, dealing with single-parent and teen pregnancies. I appreciated the fact that Ms. Mallery didn't try to tie it all up with a pretty bow and pretend that these situations will always end happily. Because they don't and won't. However, she also shows that regardless of the situation, honesty and communication are the keys to a successful relationship…EVERY time.

I like this author. I liked this book. It ended way too soon for me and the short glimpse provided of the next book in this series left me hanging. If you enjoy stories that pull at your emotions, don't miss "Sweet Spot" by Susan Mallery.