I read this book when it was first published but like many JAK
books, it is on my 'read it again' shelf. I reread it to do this review
(It's my first as you can tell) and found that I had forgotten or missed
some things in the book. It was even better the 20th time around than the
first.
Shelley Banning is an accountant with a prestigious firm in Phoenix, but she
doesn't plan to grow old behind that desk. She sees her opportunity when
she inherits a very troubled client. If she can pull this one out of the
bankruptcy fire she will have made her mark and have a stepping stone
toward her own consulting business. One of the creditors she thinks she
can get to defer payment until a later date. After all it had been a
friendly loan to the past president Ackerly Manufacturing. Joel Cassidy,
the red-haired, blue-eyed amusement company owner didn't see it that way,
he didn't really give a hoot what happens to Ackerly's now that his friend
was dead. He is, however, not stupid and is intrigued by the accountant.
She negotiates a deal with him and he agrees with his own stipulations.
They are complete opposites. She would term this negotiation 'business' he
would call it 'game playing.' He even calls her a hustler and she is
insulted. Opposites they may be but with typical JAK style we quickly see
that these opposites are very much alike.
Shelley Banning is business wise but in personal life fearful. A failed
marriage and engagement have left her in fear of mixing business with
passion. Her ex-husband and fiance were men she admired for their business
ability and drive but they either could not or would not accept those same
desires in her. Joel Cassidy is a man that came up the hard way and he has
absolutely no fear in her drive. Though he is a typical domineering male
he is also sensitive to her needs and fears. He does let her know very
quickly (How is a couple of days for quick?) that he does not expect to
spend hours trying to locate her. He wants her to move in with him.
This is all well and good because Shelley abruptly realizes that she is in
love with this man, but she has had outside interference that causes her to
worry about his true motives for cooperating with her. A bribe by someone
claiming to be an associate of Joel's and a rumor that the land that was
securing Joel's loan is being sought for a ton of money. She decides to go
with a full scale audit to prove his innocence. He finds out about her
plans to clear him, he doesn't become furious he just flatly tells her
that he wants her to move in with him and trust him before the audit. He
also wants her love but that is something she would have to figure out and
come to him. The chase is on from there, from one bar to another, all
sites of his games.
This book was one of my favorites because it is light, nothing heavy or
even too mysterious. It's just good, fun, sexy reading. The secondary
characters were almost nonexistent but that was ok, you really didn't
need them. I especially liked the seductive jigsaw puzzle scene, I've
never been able to put one together since then without a silly smile on my
lips. I also liked that she was a professional dieter and that he ignored
that saying it wasn't necessary (just like my husband). There is just
enough sex in this book without going graphic. I prefer the scenes that I
can put my own imagination to and these were some of them. Good job,
Stephanie (JAK) James!
Annetta Sweetko
