Guest Review: Tempted Again by Cathie Linz

Today, fellow blogger Sarah is joining us with a guest review. Let’s give her a warm welcome!

About Sarah: Who am I? I'm a part-time library science student, part-time librarian, and full-time mom. When I'm not wrangling my little girl or my husband, I'm reading all sorts of books to be able to recommend that "next" book for shy readers or those new to the romance genre. I can be found on Goodreads or on my blog at sarahsbookshelf.com.

I first became a fan of Cathie Linz (and subsequently, Pamela Clare) when I read a novella she wrote in  Catch of the Day a few years back. Her fast-paced romantic comedies have become some of my favorites to kick back and relax with when I need to regroup. I was pretty psyched when I found out that she had a book published earlier this year, so when I had a free moment to read I picked up a copy ofTempted Again from my local library.

The plot is your basic post-divorce return home story. We meet Marissa Bennett as she arrives back home in her beat up VW rust bucket. Taking a wrong turn, she ends up in a town parade route and is quickly apprehended by the town sheriff, Connor Doyle. Turns out that Connor and Marissa (known as Rissa in her younger days) had a fling one summer. Connor doesn't make the connection until they have to work together on a project for teens at the public library where Marissa is the new young adult librarian. Connor is a third generation cop, who recently relocated from Chicago after working undercover for a number of years in Narcotics. He feels strongly about helping at-risk youth and his passion shows in his work with the teens. The attraction between the two is obvious, as is their mutual need to deny said attraction.

So first things first – In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I'm in library school right now and have worked in a number of libraries. I have read other books by Linz that I've really enjoyed, but the thing that bugged me about this book was that it involved a cop and a librarian. That wouldn't normally be a problem--I'm very much in favor of librarian heroines--but characters in three other books by this author are also librarians, and one book in particular is the same librarian/cop combo as this book (Luck Be a Lady). In fact, that book features one of Connor's brothers, Logan Doyle. I really love it when authors write characters with interesting careers, and librarians have very interesting careers, but I think she could have gotten away with much of the same plot with a teacher or counselor instead, without overusing that one profession.

I enjoyed the interactions between Connor and Marissa, as they were pretty funny. Linz writes great dialogue that is very quick and witty. I find that her books really help me decompress if I'm overly stressed. The problem that I had at times with this book was that the interactions didn't always seem genuine. For example, the first time Connor and Marissa made it to the bedroom, Marissa got cold feet due to some inner conflicts that she needed to resolve. Connor's responses to her concerns were a little harsh, which didn't really match his behavior earlier, which I found to be a little annoying. To me, it made the conflict between the two seem more manufactured than perhaps it should have been. There was also a minor mystery involving the town's Rhubarb Festival that kept the story moving.

Overall, the book was entertaining and didn't require much brain power on my part to enjoy it or follow along. This would be a great read at the beach or somewhere you need a funny book to take your mind off more serious matters. Connor and Marissa's respective families add a dose of crazy, keeping the story light, while also opening the door to future books involving minor characters, such as Marissa's sister, Jess.

Review by Guest Reviewer

Rating: 3

Sensuality: McSexy

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

Marissa Bennett needs to start over, but the last thing she needs is a new man in her life. Enter sexy lawman Connor Doyle-the high school bad boy who took her innocence. She knows she should turn the page on her past, but Connor is irresistible. Has she come all the way home just to get her heart broken again?

Tempted Again (Berkley Sensation) by Cathie Linz

Berkley. January 3, 2012.