Off the Hook by Laura Drewry

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Title: Off the Hook
Author: Laura Drewry
Series: Fishing for Trouble #1
Published by: Loveswept
Release Date: April 12, 2016
Format: eARC
Pages: 242
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Source: NetGalley
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks
My rating:

Blurb:

Welcome to The Buoys, a West Coast haven where love comes in with the tide. Perfect for readers of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery, the Fishing for Trouble series features three unforgettable brothers—each of whom is a great catch.

Major league pitcher Liam O’Donnell knows his best days are probably behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to retire and become a fishing guide. Still, after all the time he’s spent chasing his dreams, he owes it to his brothers to pull his weight around the lodge. The Buoys is their father’s legacy, and they can’t let some developer take it from them. The one snag Liam isn’t counting on is a blast from the past: his ex-wife.

The moment Kate Hadley steps out of the seaplane, she knows this assignment is going to be trickier than she thought. She has to persuade the owners to sell—and one of them is Liam O’Donnell. Ten years ago, she made the biggest mistake of her life when she married Liam during a fling in Vegas. Now he’s her only lifeline in the middle of nowhere. Kate’s trying to keep things cool, but Liam just reminds her of the scorching few nights they spent together—and tempts her to make new memories that are just as steamy as the old.

My Review:

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

3 stars — I think I’m just off in general lately, b/c it seems as though I’m having more misses than hits in books lately.  This book was just missing something for me.  I didn’t feel like I really got to know either of our main characters that well, they didn’t really have any traits that made them stand out in my mind.  I actually enjoyed some of the secondary characters more (and thus I’m super hoping that it’s Finn and Jessie that get together and will definitely be looking forward to the next books in this series).  So while I enjoyed some of the background atmosphere and set up in the book, the main thing that draws me into a book — the characters — was missing for me.

And not just that I wasn’t really invested in either main character, I also wasn’t invested in their romantic relationship.  It just fell short for me.  I didn’t really feel their chemistry, it felt forced for me.  I didn’t get tingles really from their kissing (and more) scenes.  I didn’t really understand what drew them to each other, either in the past or the now scenes.  And since that’s kind of the whole point of a romance book like this, I was disappointed.

It just felt like I was forcing myself to read it instead of clamouring to find out what happened next.  I will say that I LOVED the climax section…it totally picked up at the point where Kate figures out what Paul and Josh have been up to, and the whole resolution there had me on the edge of my seat and cheering.

So 3 stars is probably a bit generous, but it’s my review and I’ll do what I want.  Maybe it’s 3 stars for the potential I see in the next stories.  I just hope they give me a little bit more in the character and relationship parts…you know, the important parts.  😛