Series: Perfect Fit, Book 2
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9781250032980
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N
When you're a big girl
Cherri has often wished she were thin and graceful like a ballerina instead of being a six-foot-tall blonde with curves that require serious caution. Surely a charming Irishman like her new boss Colin, with his throaty brogue and to-die-for bod, would never go for someone like Cherri. Unless maybe he’s looking for the exact opposite of a delicate lass?
There’s more of you to love
When Colin hired Cherri to work in his furniture-restoration shop, he had his eyes, first and foremost, on her artistic talents. But now he can’t help but see Cherri for the lush, spirited beauty that she is…and, soon enough, he finds himself mixing business with pleasure. But Cherri turns out to be more vulnerable than she appears. Is she in need of more than Colin can give? Or could it be that a feeling stronger than lust has him thrown for a curve?
I start every book I pick up hoping to love it, but it’s a sad fact that some stories just aren’t going to be a good (never mind perfect) fit. Such was the case for me with Thrown for a Curve. I went into the second Perfect Fit novel hoping for a fun, sassy read in the vein of the first novel, Dangerous Curves Ahead, and came out disappointed.
Thrown for a Curve follows Cherri and Colin on their rocky road to happily ever after. Cherri is a young artist who wants to be a teacher, but I felt I never really got a solid grip on her personality aside from that. She’s sprightly in the beginning of the story and I enjoyed that, along with her love for her grandmother and her not-so-hidden insecurities. Unfortunately, in the second half of Thrown for a Curve Cherri does a one-eighty, devolving into someone unrecognizable and, ultimately, frustrating. Her mood swings gave me whiplash (and hormones don’t cover it, I’m sorry to say) and I really lost respect for her when she failed to simply open her mouth and talk to Colin about her problems. Not to mention my irritation with the entire plotline involving her becoming a teacher. I don’t presume to be knowledgeable about New York teaching credential programs, but one would think Cherri would have to spend at least 30 seconds in a classroom before she’s given a teaching position. As it only takes her that long to decide she hates her “dream job” and not much longer than that to quit, I really questioned her maturity, which was sad considering author Sugar Jamison had spent the whole book working to prove that Cherri was mature for her age. Colin, in turn, is a handsome Irishman (don’t worry about remembering that, it’ll be referenced multiple times per chapter) whose past has left him with issues when it comes to women. He makes mistakes with Cherri and also regresses as the book goes on, but I was able to understand where he was coming from slightly better, even if I didn’t agree with his actions and wanted to shake him.
I do want to stress that I liked Cherri and Colin for the first half of the book, even though I felt things moved incredibly slowly. Unfortunately, when the action picked up the story derailed. I won’t spoil what happened, but I will say that a lot of Colin and Cherri’s problems could have been solved if they’d simply had honest conversations with one another where each spoke and truly listened to one another. The drama felt manufactured and there were a few other seemingly random moments thrown in at the end to “test” Colin and Cherri’s relationship which didn’t help.
I finished Thrown for a Curve feeling disappointed and unsure if I want to read the third book in the series, which is a pity, as I liked both the first Perfect Fit book and the novella “Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas.” Fans of Dangerous Curves Ahead should be pleased that Mike and Ellis appear and are instrumental in making Cherri and Colin’s relationship work. There’s a satisfying epilogue in Thrown for a Curve which ends the book on a positive note and reminded me of what I generally like about Ms. Jamison’s writing.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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