TEST
If you’re looking for a nice, light read to take on vacation this summer, The Look of Love would be an excellent choice. Andre has written a romantic story that is perfectly sweet and great for a beach read. In first book of the Sullivan series, we meet Chase Sullivan as he rescues Chloe Peterson from the side of the road.
Chloe is not having a good night. She’s fled her dangerous ex-husband and now her car is stuck in a ditch. To make matters even worse, it’s raining. She’s understandably reluctant when a man, even a handsome one like Chase, offers her a ride.
Chase can’t resist helping out a damsel in distress, and Chloe is definitely in distress, if the bruise on her cheek is any indication. He sweeps her away to his brother’s winery in Napa Valley to recuperate. Chloe agrees to stay with him for a day, but ends up taking several days to relax at the winery and help with Chase’s photo shoots. As her stay continues, Chloe finds it impossible to resist Chase. He’s kind and charming and she envies his close relationship with his family. It’s almost impossible to resist someone so perfect.
Therein lies my only real issue with this book. It was a little too perfect. Chase is the nicest, sweetest, most wonderful man in the world. He doesn’t seem to have single flaw. I wanted to see something from him that indicated he had a little personality. He was so sweet it made makes your teeth hurt. Chloe was the one with issues. She was in an emotionally abusive marriage, is very fearful of men, and is trying to start her life over on her own. Her personal conflicts create the only real tension in the book. Chase basically falls in love with her the moment they meet and the only thing keeping them apart is Chloe’s reluctance. In my opinion, this wasn’t enough to keep the story going.
This is a fairly sexy book. Chloe and Chase spend most of their time together in and out of bed (or wherever else they can get it on). If you’re in the mood for a book that has a lot of steamy scenes that aren’t overly graphic, this would be a good choice. For me, the book started to drag a little toward the end. The repeated love scenes, photo shoots, and interactions with Chase’s family got a little redundant. I would’ve really liked some action to break things up a little. Even the potential for conflict with Chloe’s ex was glossed over until the final pages of the book. I would’ve liked to see Chloe get some strength within herself and handle the situation with her ex a little more proactively. For example, for the entire book she really needed to call the police, file a report, and get a restraining order, but she never does. I also had a little issue with the fact that Chloe wanted to make a life for herself independent of her husband, but ends up immediately in love and in a relationship again. The premise would have been better had their relationship taken place over a longer span of time so that Chloe actually had a chance to heal from her failed marriage.
The entire book takes place over the course of only a few days. Chase and Chloe are fairly sequestered in his brother Marcus’ guest house. It’s the perfect setting for falling in love, but there might have been a little more interest to the story had Andre taken them out of the setting. I would’ve liked to hear more about Chloe’s new life or what Chase’s world as a photographer is like.
This book does a good job of setting the reader up for the rest of the Sullivan stories. There are eight siblings in all, six men and two women. The next book features Marcus, who we see in The Look of Love dealing with his failing relationship. We also meet the other siblings who all seem to be nice, attractive, and have interesting jobs. I had previously read the book about the librarian sister, and found it enjoyable, so I would definitely consider reading Marcus’ book.
While you may not be blown out of the water by The Look of Love, it is a sweet little bit of fluff to enjoy this summer, like a bite of cotton candy. You might not get much substance from it, but you’ll enjoy the ride. I think this would be a great choice for traveling because you can easily put it down and pick it up again without worrying that you’ll be totally lost by the story.
Grade: B
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 14/06/13
Publication Date: 2013/06
Haley K is a librarian-of-all-trades, book reviewer, writer, perpetual student, as well as a pretty crafty chick. She lives in Texas with too many pets and too little sleep.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.