She's the One

She's the One by Kim Boykin

Melissa Bliss has a strange and wonderful gift.  Aside from being a top notch Realtor and Property Manager, she is also a Matchmaker.  She has the ability to see whether or not someone is compatible, and once in a while she finds a couple whose auras are so blinding they can't be anything but Soul Mates.  She currently stands at forty-nine matches and is in hot pursuit of number fifty.  For some reason, however, she begins to question her gift, and the stipulations put on it by her great-aunt and grandmother all of those years ago.  Would falling in love really cost her everything?  And is Isle of Palm's sexiest contractor worth the risk?

Shane Carver has been in love with Melissa since the moment he moved to Isle of Palm.  Tired of waiting for her to shows signs of interest he is determined to win her heart before someone else steals it out from under his nose.  Unfortunately, just as he is making progress, fate has decided to mess with his plans.  His ex-fiancee arrives on the Island and now Melissa is convinced that the two of them are Soul Mates.  Can he convince her that she is wrong?  And can he keep her out of the arms of a passionate musician who is determined to mend her broken heart?

I am 100% in love with this book.  Kim Boykin hit this one so far out of the park I couldn't help but read it all in one sitting.  The characters are marvelous, the story is pleasantly winsome, and the details applied leave you drooling despite the lack of an actually steamy scene.  The best part, though, was that there wasn't the need for a steamy scene.  The kissing scenes are so sweet and full of passion that you feel drawn in and worked up with them alone.

There are two actual love stories told in this book.  Both are presented with such tongue and cheek that you laugh yourself silly at some points realizing that the situations are so REAL!  If you were to discover that your ex was living next door to you, and you weren't yet over them, I dare you not to act exactly as these characters do.  And Shane's anger and animosity toward his ex messing up his plans leads to some great dialogue (both actual and inner).

Overall, this story shines bright as one of the best Kim Boykin books I have ever read!

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Characters – 5

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

Flirting with Forever

Flirting with Forever by Kim Boykin

Tara Jordan has worked on her writing career just as long as she has worked on her marriage.  So when she finally hits a gold mine with a marriage self-help book, her life takes an ironic turn:  her husband of fifteen years leaves her, taking all of their money with him.  Forced to promote the book in order to pay her mounting mortgage debts, Tara lives in fear that she will be seen as a hypocrite if the world learns of her crumbling marriage, or her growing attraction for her new publicist.

Jake Randall needs a vacation.  He is done catering to divas and so-called celebrity authors without an ounce of writing talent in them.  When a senior publicist gets her foot crushed by a drunken client she calls Jake to take over for her and handle a month-long book tour with said train-wreck.  Little does he know that his first impression of Tara Jordan will be anything but disdainful.  Now his problem isn't controlling an unruly client, but keeping a professional distance from a lovely temptation.

While the subject matter of this book is heavy and complicated (abandonment vs. adultery), the tone was not so much.  This was a surprisingly easy read with an uplifting message all the way through it.  I usually try to stay away from cheating/cruel spouse stories, but this one really played with my perceptions.  I have to say I actually reserved judgement on Jim until the very end, then even after that I couldn't really hate him.

Character-wise, this was such a great build-up to a new series.  Melissa and Marsha are a riot, and I would love to see Erin get a story of her own.  My feelings are mixed on Lou, though.  I actually want to challenge Kim Boykin to make me like her.  I see potential, but right now, I just don't like her.

Overall, this is a fun and flirty story with an uplifting outlook of some pretty messed up circumstances.  It is such an odd combination that it is truly appealing.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 5 

Characters – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5