![]() She had captured his ugly mug with a stick of charcoal - and the worst attempt at covert surveillance he had witnessed since his days of pubescent Army training." Mick's dry style is best reflected by his first lines, describing Sophy: "The girl had the reflexes of a suicidal turtle and some serious art chops. On her personal scale of social terror, he was more intimidating than the senior art lecturer, a man who drove most of his students to drink or copious amounts of cake." Instead of "She felt shy around him" we get "She wasn't sure what it was about the man, but he reduced her from a shy person with manners to the walking personification of a blush. This isn't quite a romantic comedy, but the narration is profoundly funny, and each character has their own distinct voice. And let's not even TALK about what came out of her mouth when he showed up in her hospital room. And then there was a terrorist with a smoke bomb, and she, uh, got in his way and he knocked her over? Totally humiliating. ![]() She was just sketching him, totally engrossed in his artistically beautiful face (Picasso would have loved it!). Low angst, feel-good (non-queer) f/m romance that begins when Sophy James, a graduate art student who values her independence and alone time, meets "ugly" security consultant Mick Hollister by having a near-fatal asthma attack. Being such a short book anyway, that puts this on the verge of the middle of my steam tolerance (but I have to admit still on the low-side if I'm forced to measure closely). I'm still rounding up to five stars, mind, but it bears mentioning that there are weaknesses if you want to look for them.Ī note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene in the book and it's well integrated and well depicted. That and some of the secondary characters (like Mick's family) being a bit too one-dimensional keep this from an absolute knock out of the park. Mainly that there turn out to be three mystery elements converging in a single week for Sophy who leads a pretty placid life and always has done until now. The only thing dragging this down, even a little, is that the plot has a few contrivances that seemed rather unlikely piled all together. I particularly liked how well they communicated (despite Sophy's difficulties) and the lack of stupid misunderstandings getting in their way. And fell in love with each over the course of the story. I was deeply engaged in both almost immediately. ![]() Sophy honestly finds him uniquely beautiful even as he can become that restful place she needs to feel freely safe. So I loved how the two fit so well together. His pain at being considered unreasoningly violent, even by those who should know better, was really engaging to me. I also love how he's got a core kindness and fundamentally protective nature that shows through in all his actions (and not just with Sophy). He's big and tough and has very intimidating features and I loved how consistently that's depicted. Sophy is an artist (unlike my daughter), so I totally bought her being drawn to Mick whose face is "interesting". Or, at least, she's a whole lot like my oldest daughter and I recognized her so well in this. This is one of the best depictions I've read of an introverted character who also has a healthy dose of the shy (bordering on debilitating social anxiety). Sophy and Mick were outstanding together and the story was very sweet. This was a delightful, quick read and a really good short romance (I mostly like my romances longer, so I mean this as a compliment). And they can’t stay away from one another. Mick, apparently born with a face that not even a mother could love, has given up all hope of having one. She’s never looked for a long-term relationship, and isn’t sure she wants one now. ![]() Introvert Sophy is content with her independence and solitude. And an even more unlikely – and very reluctant – love. A security breach brings the two into fast and furious collision, and an unlikely friendship begins to blossom. Security consultant Mick Hollister is used to women looking at his ugly mug – but not with the genuine pleasure he sees in the face of the girl with the charcoal-smudged fingers and terrible skills at covert surveillance. She’s completely fascinated and attracted by the striking planes and angles of his unusual face, and can’t resist sneaking out her pencil when he’s not looking. When of the world’s prestigious art collections comes to the resort town of Queenstown, New Zealand, shy art student Sophy James is immediately drawn to the pieces on display – and to the massive, silent, sexy presence keeping watch over them. Alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00IQXRKIS
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