Against His Will

Against His Will
by Trish Jensen
Published by Bell Bridge Books
230 pages
Genre: romance; chick lit
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview
3 / 5 cupcakes


Okay, it's cute. Cute story, cute characters, cute cute cute. There is even a cute bulldog named Muffin. Cuteness overload.

But is it hot?

Weeelllllll .....

Jake Donnelly is an FBI agent who inherited some money and property, including a beloved mountain cabin, from his Aunt Sophie. Actually, Jake didn't inherit anything. Muffin, an overindulged bulldog accustomed to spending two weeks of his summer vacation at a dog spa, inherited the whole thing. When Jake learns that he is muffin's designated caretaker, he also discovers that the mountain cabin can be his - provided he takes exemplary care of Muffin. So it is that Jake winds up at the dog spa with Muffin, where he encounters comely dog psychiatrist LeAnne Crosby. He views her with suspicion and disdain, suspecting that she might have tried to fleece his aunt. And a pet psychiatrist? Seriously?

LeAnne realizes that Jake is suspicious of her, but that does nothing to dampen her desire for him. Or his for her. They sniff around each other (GET IT?), pushing and pulling against their attraction. And then a witness Jake and his FBI partner are protecting shows up, and some bad guys show up, and we have a different chase on our hands.

The subplot is just a ridiculous farce. It's almost as if Trish Jensen knew it was silly, but she couldn't stop herself from including it. The reason for it becomes quickly apparent (let's just say that it might involve that cabin in the woods), but you can't help but think that there would have been a more plausible way to make that magic happen.

Oh, yeah. The magic. The sex scenes are ... cute. A lot more cute than hot, let's just say. After all the teasing, I wanted a bigger payoff. The sexy times definitely fit in with the rest of the cuteness of the book, though, so if that pulls your engine cord, then you will love this book.

A word about the cover: what is up with THAT? An apple with a bite out of it? I don't recall apples being a central motif of this thing, nor is there an Adam-and-Eve theme going on. That cover is a head-scratcher.