Tracy Wolff
ISBN #: 9781426876455
Publisher Name: Harlequin Enterprises/Harlequin SuperRomance
Date Released: December 2010
Page Count: 288
Price: $5.50 Retail
Genre: Contemporary/Single Title
Book Format: Print

BACK COVER BLURB:

Rhiannon Jenkins is an events planner on the rise. And her latest client, Shawn Emerson, could make her career. Too bad the gorgeous man insists on mixing a lot of pleasure with his business. In Rhiannon's books getting involved with a client is the fastest way to exit a job. So, no. She'll resist all his come-get-me looks and tempting offers.

While his charm is easy to overlook, Shawn in the role of confidant and friend breaks down all her best defenses. Suddenly the tables turn and she wants to be close to him. That means opening up about the ugly events of her past—a risk she hasn't taken before now. Oh, but he could be so worth it!

COVER SNARK:

Ummm, I don't like the guy on this cover. He looks like a character from a soap opera. This looks so cheesy.

FIRST LINES:

She could do this. She could do this. Really, she could do this.

Anyhoo, several years ago Rhiannon was attacked and it turned he life upside down. She's changed her life and is slowly building herself back up. She meets Shawn, a graphic artist (you know those guys who make graphic novels, my mind just went blank and I forgot the correct term), whose graphic novels are about to be optioned into movies. He hires Rhiannon to plan a big event at his home for studio executives when a popular film festival comes to town. Yada, yada, yada. Okay, you should know me and plot summaries by now. Is that enough for you? However, I will say that the back cover blurb on this book sucks. It doesn't convey the depth of this story, because if I was just scanning the shelves or Amazon I totally would've skipped past this book and I would've been missing out.

Shawn is in his twenties, Rhiannon has just turned forty. Rawr. LOL! Shawn is an impulsive person and the typical young, male artist. His home is a male teenager's wet techno dream. I like how Ms. Wolff made him realistic to his occupation and age, yet gave him a hidden depth of character that is slowly revealed as the reader turns the pages. Shawn has his own issues and it's just not all about Rhiannon and her overcoming the abuse she suffered. Kudos to Ms. Wolff for that.

I also loved how Rhiannon's growth was so realistic but it wasn't depressing as she overcomes what happened to her. I so hate reading about depressing crap, and I didn't get annoyed, depressed, wanting to put the book down because I didn't want to be sad feeling. It takes great skill from a writer to be able to mix to the two and Ms. Wolff did an awesome job with that.

Bottom line, UNGUARDED is a deeply compelling, character driven novel that I enjoyed reading very much. If I had one gripe is that we spent the whole book building up to this party she was planning and I wish that we actually got to see a little bit of the party, but that's a minor thing and you guys know me I always got to complain about something!

This is my first book by Ms. Wolff and it WON'T be my last!

WHERE PURCHASED:
Bought with my own money.


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