Rowena’s review of Kiss Me if You Can by Carly Phillips.
Hero: Sam Cooper
Heroine: Lexie Davis
Sam Cooper (“Coop”) has just become the most eligible bachelor in New York City. Now that he has foiled a jewelry-store robbery and has been rewarded with the ring of his choice, single women all over the city are fawning over the crime reporter. But Coop isn’t interested in the admirers sending racy underwear his way. His attention is centered solely on Lexie Davis, the only woman in the city who claims not to be interested in his bachelor status.Instead, free-spirited Lexie is interested in Coop’s antique ring, and its – potentially scandalous – history in her family. But Coop is quickly becoming more than just her route to the ring. When his investigation starts to uncover the truth, will she trust her heart – and her family secrets – to this most eligible bachelor?
It’s been such a long time since I’ve picked up a Carly Phillips book to read. I’ve had some good Carly Phillips reads and some not so good ones but I haven’t disliked her work enough to give it up.
When I picked this up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was I going to get something like Hot Number (which I loved) or was I going to get something like The Playboy (which I could never get into, let alone finish), I’m happy to say that I finished the book and actually enjoyed getting to know the main characters.
In this story we have Sam Cooper, the local hero who stopped a robber from getting away with stolen jewelry from a jewelry store. He’s a crime beat writer for the newspaper and now he’s the city’s most eligible Bachelor on The Bachelor’s Blog. For his troubles, he gets his pick of a bunch of jewelry that’s thrown in his face and because he has to pick something or look like a dummy, he chooses a ring at random and flees.
Lexie Davis watches all about Coop saving the day on the news with her grandma and when they see the ring that he chose as his reward, they’re both intrigued because the ring looks like it’s a perfect match to Lexie’s grandmother’s necklace and since Grandma Charlotte’s 80th birthday is coming up, Lexie thinks it’ll make the perfect gift for her so she plans to track this hero down and try to buy the ring from him. She thought it would be a simple business transaction kind of thing but she should have known better.
Things start to get a little crazy when Coop brings the ring home with him. A very sexy woman wants to buy the ring from him and waited outside his office for him to come out to ask him for it. The owner of the jewelry store, who wasn’t at the shop when it was being robbed and therefore, wasn’t the one who gave Coop the ring calls and wants Coop to bring it back then his house is broken into and things just kept right on getting crazy because after a little digging into the background of the ring in his possession, a lot of questions start coming up.
Coop agrees to let Lexie in on his investigation of the ring, mostly because he wants to jump her bones and spend more time with her. The more they find out about the ring, the less Lexie wants to know but has to know because well, she’s got to clear her grandmother’s name.
The whole story flew right on by, it was easy to get drawn into the story because I enjoyed Coop and Lexie so much. Coop was one of those sexy heroes that you can’t get enough of and Lexie was one of those smart heroines who you want to be your friend. They both have issues that make them absolutely wrong for each other and yet you couldn’t help but cheer them on anyway. I adored both Coop and Lexie, together and apart, they were just so much fun. They were my favorite part of the story. Usually for me, it’s the secondary characters that draw me into a story. I’m a fan of the underdog but that wasn’t the case with this story.
The secondary characters in this story, I either loved or I couldn’t stand. I mean, everyone from Coop’s side (his father, brother, best friend and neighbor, etc..) were great, I thought they were great additions to the story but Grandma Charlotte, Sylvia and then her mother, I just couldn’t like them.
The whole mystery thing behind the jewelry came off as silly to me. I wasn’t a big fan of it and then at the way that whole thing came to a head felt forced but I didn’t pay too much attention to that because I still enjoyed the romance that blossomed between Coop and Lexie. Grandma Charlotte was a total fraud for Lexie’s whole life and even though she had her reasons for what she did, I just couldn’t understand why she couldn’t be upfront about this with Lexie. Everything that her and Sylvia got into didn’t come off as cute and funny, it was more eye rolling than anything else.
The romance between Coop and Lexie is what drew my attention and then kept it and while it wasn’t the most perfect romance, I still enjoyed it and it totally made up for the rest of the book. This book did its job because I’m more than a little intrigued by the next book which I’m definitely going to read. I can’t wait get to know more about Sara and Rafe. At least I hope that Sara is Rafe’s partner. This was a light and fluffy read and if you don’t take it too seriously, it will entertain you.
Grade: 3.25 out of 5
This book is available from HQN. You can buy it here.
Wow, this seems really very interesting book. I love to read this as soon as possible. After reading this nicely written review it seem great.
My review of this found it to be an enjoyable, not earth shattering, read. The grandmother and her friend are hilarious and I’d love to see more of them. The romance was pleasant and breezy, but the differences holding them back were predictable and resolved during an event that was predictable too.
I’m reading the sequel now which is about Sara and Rafe–ex police partners forced together to protect Sara’s life from a mob hit. The relationship problems they have are also predictable and the colorful characters come from small town living. I’m sure my feelings and overall rating will be as they were for KMIYC–which was similar to how you felt about the book.
Thanks 8gb! You should definitely try it out!
I too find Carly Phillips very hit and miss but, based on your review, I may have to give this one a try!