Cat's Books: Romance

Ellis Garrett is dumping her critical boyfriend, opening a plus-size clothing store, and starting a blog—all to spread the word that fashion shouldn’t require a size-two body, and happiness should allow for the occasional cupcake. Or two. But is indulging fantasies about her sister’s long-ago ex, the still-hunky Michael Edwards, biting off more than she can chew?

Mike must be losing his detective’s touch. He doesn’t recognize Ellis when he bumps into her at Size Me Up, and he certainly doesn’t remember his ex-girlfriend’s outspoken sister being so irresistible. Her curves are indeed dangerous—and so is her wit. Could it be that Ellis is his Perfect Fit? One thing’s for sure: Mike will make it his sworn duty to find out…

Review

I give this book 3.5 stars rounded up because it is a really great debut and I am so looking forward to the rest of the series and more from this writer! We have a super curvy smart girl meets (or remeets) super hot guy story. They are both in flux as they have just moved to a small college town from the big city and are adjusting to new careers. Our hero has never been in an long term relationship and our heroine is just out of an cruel one.

This is a good book that I stayed up late to finish. Its smart, sexy, with a rewarding happily ever after.

The Great!

The book is very witty with a wonderful opening scene. The hero is likable and feels real at the same time. He is imperfect and in the middle of flux but compelling. He is way into Ellis and I adore that.Great banter.Ellis is funny and wonderful friend and daughter. Her parents are awesome. There are good internal and external conflicts. The sexy times are sexy. There is excellent chemistry. We root for this couple through the good and the bad. The writing is crisp, engaging, and full of humanity and love.

The Not So Great!

I never get a real good bead on what Ellison looks like in terms of hair, eyes, and face. Skin color, yes. Body, yes. Head, no. This bugs me. Our hero is a former man ho. I am so tired of man hos. He is hot. Cool. He has sisters and a mother and is a caring and supportive guy. Does he have to treat women as things in his earlier life? He says it was always clear his intentions. But it is jerky to kiss and tell like he use to do with his best friend. I get that he dated a certain kind of woman and that his change is part of his character but I am just weary of this kind of dude and the idea that there are certain kinds of women. It is not attractive. I just needed it changed up a little.

The sister is over the top. I get that there could be these kinds of issues with your sister. It is possible and for the reasons given but at the same time she is too villainous in some ways. She redeems herself which is good but there is something cartoonish about her in this otherwise real feeling book that is out of sync with the narrative.

Being fat is an issue in this book. The heroine isn't okay with her body really. She is working on in and that is good but she is not there. This makes sense given her former relationship but there was false promise in the blurb of this book that I had finally found a book about big beautiful woman that was content with her shape.

Public reaction and fat cruelty is a bit over the top in the story, I think. Our heroine is a larger sized woman but she is is somewhere in the high teens for her size. 18, I am thinking. Large breasts, smaller waist, lots of booty. I am about this size and I don't get this kind of public reaction. I know a lot of women bigger than me who don't get this.

My man is good looking but he is not drop deadly like her guy but I still do not think what happens in the book is that plausible. There is a lot of fat hatred in this book from unexpected quarters. There is a lot of fat hatred in our society but I am not sure that the amount in the book is merited and it takes away from the romance in some places. She isn't the kind of big that begins to make people uncomfortable or feel freed from social norms to this degree.

The ex, I get as he is abusive and while I think his aunt is overdone, she knows Ellis and people that know you and dislike you for other reasons are much more likely to be this way. It isn't really the individual scenes that are so bad but rather the general tone that gets created for the book which leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth even after the HEA.

Fat hatred is a valid and important issue but the way it is handled here is a bit off the narrative truth of this book. I am not sure how well the blog entries at the start of each chapter work. I enjoy them but some are a bit trite and they change tone over the course of a book so they just aren't as compelling as they could be.

Requests! I am glad to see that the sister gets her own novella. I hope that this time through she is a much more real character. I am interested in seeing how the writer does that.

I really, really, really, want a novella that tells the falling in love story of Ellison's parents. I adore her dad and mom and think the love story between them would be grand. I love such promising debuts by new writers.

Rock on, Sugar!

I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it!