Sandy M’s review of Gotcha! by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romance released by Love Spell 26 May 09

I love reading Christie Craig. This is her fourth book and she’s not once let me down when it comes to plot, characters, and especially humor. She’s a terrific new author and Love Spell/Dorchester is lucky to have her.

The main draw for me to Christie’s books is her humor. I find myself laughing out loud throughout the entire book. An example in Gotcha! is when the hero, Jake, a police detective, gets a lesson in not pushing a woman too far when she’s trying to save embarrassment on both sides when it comes to feminine hygiene products. May seem cliche, it’s been done before, but not by Christie Craig. The heroine, Macy, does her best to get Jake to back off making a run to the store for her, though he’s trying to be a gentleman. But when he persists, Macy lets loose and stops speaking female code for tampons, periods and the whole works, lets Jake have it full force, which leaves him floundering and blushing. One of the best scenes in the book, and there are so many more.

Another plus to Christie’s books is her characters.  There hasn’t been a character in four books that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. Macy’s brother is currently incarcerated because he was duped by a couple of brothers who robbed a store and Billy was their getaway driver, unbeknownst to him until it was too late. Macy decides to do a little investigation on her own when she receives a message from Billy’s girlfriend, who is the ex-girlfriend of an uber bad guy who is in prison with Billy and won’t let anyone get one up on him. During her investigation is when Jake tackles Macy, literally, as she snoops — in the guise of delivering pizza, her day job — around said girlfriend’s house and the police just happen to be there too.

After deciding that Macy really isn’t part of the whole upcoming fiasco of a prison break, in which her brother participates, Jake tries to shake her from his mind, but finds it impossible to do. He ends up protecting her when the bad guy begins to stalk Macy. Jake wants more from her, but Macy holds back because the men in her life always leave. Doesn’t matter if it’s dying, walking away, or cheating, males in her family, including her ex-husband, have hurt her over and over again. But spending so much time with Jake, learning he has his secrets too, is beginning to wear her down.

I so enjoyed Jake and Macy. They’re fun, independent, strong, witty and they look darned good together. Christie’s secondary characters are also well written, including the villains, and I like all of them just as much. Macy’s family, her mom and grandmother especially, are a riot. We even get two secondary love stories with Macy’s mom and brother, each finding love in the danger and investigation that consumes their lives. Ms. Craig just has a knack of making the reader care about what happens to her characters.

Christie Craig is a master at incorporating fun and laughter in her books. She blends those seamlessly with the romance and suspense that she’s also brilliant at. If you’re a reader who likes humor when you read, then you have to, absolutely, read Christie Craig. She’s one of the few authors in any genre who writes humor like this.  This is nearly as good as it gets.

Grade: A+

Summary:
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Macy Tucker was five years old when her beloved grandfather dropped dead in his spaghetti. At twelve, her father left his family in the dust. At twenty-five, her husband gave his secretary a pre-Christmas bonus in bed, and Macy gave him the boot. To put things lightly, men have been undependable.
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That’s why dating’s off the menu. Macy is focused on law school, and putting herself through—which means being the delivery girl for Papa’s Pizza. But cheesier than her job is her pie-eyed brother, who just recently escaped from prison to protect his new girlfriend. And hotter than Texas toast is the investigating detective. Proud, sexy…inflexible—he’s a man who would kiss her just to shut her up. But Jake Baldwin’s a protector as much as a dish. And when he gets his man—or his woman—Macy knows it’s for life.
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Read an excerpt.