Thursday, May 26, 2011

No More Mr. Nice Guy by Jennifer Greene

Carroll Laker knows she' s found the marrying kind in Alan Smith. The pediatrician is everything a woman could want in a husband; he' s kind, dependable, patient. Maybe too patient: even though they spend Saturday mornings house-hunting, they' ve yet to spend a night in bed together. And suddenly Carroll starts fantasizing about what it would be like to be wildly, wantonly, passionately in love… 

Alan has wanted to marry Carroll since the moment he met her. When he senses he' s on the verge of losing her, he decides it' s time to loosen up. If Carroll needs excitement and seduction, that' s exactly what he' ll give her. From orchids and exotic foods to midnight canoe rides and dancing till dawn, Alan will do anything to sweep Carroll off her feet and into his bed. 

At first, Carroll is delighted by the romantic gestures. But she can' t help wondering: Will the new Alan love her forever the way the old Alan would have? Previously published. 44,000 words
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**I requested this title for review from NetGalley**

I've always thought that there's something to be said for a well written contemporary romance and Jennifer Greene does a great job with No More Mr. Nice Guy. It's one of those great modern fairy tales, where the woman and the man are equals, each with their own insecurities and doubts but who honestly love each other and want to be together.

I'm not sure what I was expected going into this, maybe more of an erotica since that's what I've read before from Carina Press, but this is at its heart a great romance. Alan and Carroll have fallen into the trap of letting things get easy. They stick to what they know and what they're comfortable with - which makes Carroll start to worry about just what she wanted in the first place in her relationship. Sensing this Alan is determined to be the swashbuckling 'hero' that he's sure she wants. It leads to a bunch of great adventures where both of them learn about each other.

The strength of this romance lies in the two main characters, in their personalities and the way the story switches viewpoints so readers are able to feel for both of them. I loved the book and thought it was a lot of fun, because in the end they became heroes for each other. And learned to cherish each other and their dreams like they hadn't before. I highly recommend it :)

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up

Series - None