Thrown for a Curve by Sugar Jamison

The Basics:
Thrown for a Curve by Sugar Jamison
St Martin's Press
Book Two in the Perfect Fit series
Romance
Published Feb 25, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

I've had mixed results with these 'big girl' romances but I'm determined to find one that I love.


Blurb:

WHEN YOU’RE A big girl

Cherri has often wished she were thin and graceful like a ballerina instead of being a six-foot-tall blonde with curves that require serious caution. Surely a charming Irishman like her new boss Colin, with his throaty brogue and to-die-for bod, would never go for someone like Cherri. Unless maybe he’s looking for the exact opposite of a delicate lass?

there’s more of you to love

When Colin hired Cherri to work in his furniture-restoration shop, he had his eyes, first and foremost, on her artistic talents. But now he can’t help but see Cherri for the lush, spirited beauty that she is…and, soon enough, he finds himself mixing business with pleasure. But Cherri turns out to be more vulnerable than she appears. Is she in need of more than Colin can give? Or could it be that a feeling stronger than lust has him thrown for a curve?

My thoughts:

This was a real mixed reading experience for me. I loved how the book started, I lost the magic in the middle, I found more to love later on, and then again muddled, and  then a fairly strong finish.

So Cherri is a tall, broad, mature young woman responsible for her grandmother's care. She's advanced beyond the giggling, less serious girls her age, and has a group of friends in their late twenties and early thirties who mostly look at her as a kid sister. I liked Cherri because she's struggling through those 'new adult' issues - trying to solidify her own identity, figure out a career path and still have some fun in her life - but she's also balancing that with being a caregiver.

Colin's a member of that group of friends - he's Irish, he's sexy, he's got an older, world-weary vibe to him. I love the way that Colin's accent is written, it was just the right balance for me and conveyed the sexy brogue perfectly.

I liked that these two were drawn together despite their  friends' best intentions. There's nothing better than a *good* - we know we shouldn't, but we can't resist any longer - romance.

That said, the part I found frustrating in this book was the lack of communication aspect of the plot. Certainly a valid and frequent relationship problem, I find lack of communication troubles in books often drive me nuts because all it would take is a little more insight on either side for so much trouble to be avoided. It often seems to me that this is a device used as an easy way to create problems rather than putting a real wrench in the relationship.

I also found that my enjoyment was all over the place. There's definitely different segments of the novel - it's fairly long compared to the other books I've read recently in this genre, which is nice. There's a chance to really watch this couple develop, but there are definitely some stronger parts and some weaker parts. Overall, I think the book was good, but I definitely had to stick with it through a few chapters.

Bottom line:

Thrown for a Curve didn't quite satisfy my need for an awesome 'big girl' romance, but it was still pretty good. I recommend it with the acknowledgement that I found it a little inconsistent.

3.5 stars
For fans of contemporary romance, sexy Irishmen, the Perfect Fit series.