This is the fifth book in Mari Carr's Wild Irish series and they just keep getting better and better. Mari Carr has crafted yet another story that will suck readers in from the very beginning, especially with Natalie's melancholy so clearly laid out in the opening scene. She tries to use sarcasm to hide her despondency and keep people at an arm's length. Lucky for her, though, Ewan has her figured out and refuses to be put off by her biting comments and sometimes standoffish behavior. His stubborn optimism is exactly what is needed to get behind the walls Natalie has erected around her emotions, and that is what makes them so perfectly matched. And that doesn't even account for the intense attraction between them that heats up as their week together progresses, leading up to some extremely hot sexual encounters.

Setting this story up so that everything happens within the week Ewan has to teach Natalie how to actually live instead of observe is the perfect pace. The fact that they have known each other three years allows for Ewan's uncanny understanding of Natalie's personality, which is how he is able to slip behind her defenses in only one week. Ewan and Natalie are simply wonderful characters that are relatable and who will have readers cheering for them almost from the beginning. Having the Collins family as background characters makes the story even more enjoyable, all the way to the very satisfying ending.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Karin
March 28, 2010