Lean on Me
3.5 starsA cute story that started of with a blast, but tapered off halfway through.
Everest
Cassidy Clark has chased her dream of climbing the world's 14 highest mountains (more info on them can be found here, on Wikipedia). But, life didn't go as planned. And now she's back in her hometown, in which everybody hates her, with no money and no place to stay. The good thing - she's used to roughing it, all she really needs is a place to set up her tent. Maybe her choice of location wasn't the savviest...
Mitch Anders happens to be one of the owners of the nursery that Cassidy chose as her camping ground. Ever since high school he has been intrigued by her, and now that she's back, he has the opportunity to see if they fit together. Of course, Cassidy might claim not to want anything to do with him, but he can make her see things his way.
I loved the beginning of the story - the humor, the banter and the sparks flying between the characters. Unfortunately, later on, we have the dreaded misunderstanding How can you believe the gossip, Mitch, especially when you know that 90% of the citizens hate Cassidy's guts?. And then there's Cassidy stepfather - I don't get him, at all. And his behavior bugged me - a lot.
Now, those aren't big issues, but they definitely spoiled my enjoyment of the book.
However, there are good things in the book. Cassidy and Mitch are mostly OK, and I like the guys that Mitch works with - I'll probably read their stories. And the romance itself is definitely nice. :D
Now, some excerpts that made me smile:
He stood up straight again. “I’m going to walk away thinking we’re on for tomorrow.”
Her good mood faded. “I didn’t—”
“When I do go—” he pointed in the direction of the glassed-in office at the far end of the room, “—you’re going to be tempted to watch my ass.”
The comment was so out of context it hit her like a sharp smack. “Excuse me?”
“Just to be clear, I won’t be offended. As far as I’m concerned, you can go right ahead and look because I can guarantee you if the positions were reversed, I’d be watching yours.”
With her mouth hanging open and her mind muddled, she watched him walk away. No, make that saunter. It was the sure stalk of a hunter, all grace with no wasted steps.
And damn if she didn’t take a peek at his ass.
******
She knocked her hand against his menu, sending it smacking into his face. “Listen to me.”
He frowned and managed to look adorable doing it. “Keep acting like that and someone might make a citizen’s arrest. People like me.”
He wasn’t wrong.
ARC provided by Harlequin via NetGalley