Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Sensual Winds by Carmen Green
Contemporary romance released by Kimani Romance 01 July 2009
I had high hopes for this third book in Kimani Romance’s multi-author Mother Nature Matchmaker trilogy. It’s got the same ingredients that made the first two books appealing, Key West and a cabin romance theme, plus the hero is Lucas McCoy. The man has been building a dream house for his New York City-based fiancee for the last two books, while girlfriend has been putting off making visits to the island. Will Lucas finally realize that his friends are right and that his engagement is a farce?
Lucas met Emma when he was on a job in New York City. They had a heated affair, fell in love, and quickly became engaged. But his life is back in Key West, while she has a very demanding career in New York. They’re trying to make it work, but over the course of several months it’s apparent to everyone that the relationship has disintegrated. It’s so bad that Emma has “delegated” the building of her dream house in Key West to her assistant Doreen Fleming. It’s Doreen who is taking phone calls from Lucas, picking out the flooring, suggesting furniture, and getting updates on construction, while Emma isn’t returning his phone calls.
Lucas has finally had enough. He gives Emma an ultimatum through Doreen. If she’s not on the plane for a planned visit then he’ll consider them through. He gets his answer when he shows up at the airport and finds Doreen standing at baggage claim. Emma sent her down to break-up with Lucas for her, and in exchange she’ll pull a few strings to get Doreen a promotion she’s been gunning for. However Doreen has come to care about Lucas, and their consulting on the house has led to a full-blown crush. Now she’s in Key West and with a hurricane approaching it looks like she’ll be stranded there for a few days. A few days with her, Lucas and a big empty dream home. Whatever shall they do?
Now this sounds like a fairly intriguing set-up with plenty of conflict to move the story along. Unfortunately, the conflict sputters and dies the moment Doreen lands in Key West. Lucas and Emma have a phone conversation that pretty much clears the air. Hey, this is great. They’ve talked. They’ve acted like adults. And yet they’ve also managed to put all the conflict to rest. Now what will we do for the next 150+ pages? The answer? Not much. This story reads like a series of vignettes at times, instead of a focused story with focused conflict. The author even resorts to tossing in some stranded tourists to get us through to the end, but instead of being interesting additions, they come off more as annoying distractions.
Doreen and Lucas are nice people, and I definitely could have gotten behind them as a romantic couple. But what little conflict there was lacked any real bite, and I found myself bored. So bored that the only thing that kept me reading was the knowledge that this was a category romance and “only 200 pages” long. In the end though, there’s nothing offensive or “bad” about the story. It’s just….boring. It’s worth a look if you’re a fan of the trilogy and need some closure. Otherwise? Meh.
Grade: C
Read reviews for the other two books by following the series tag.
Summary:
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Giving her boss’s fiancé the kiss-off isn’t in Doreen Fleming’s job description. But when she meets the soon-to-be ex, gorgeous real estate developer Lucas McCoy, Doreen knows she’s headed for a storm tide of trouble.
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Building his dream house isn’t the same without someone to share it. Doreen may be just the messenger, but she’s unleashing a tempest inside Lucas that’s tempting him to risk his heart again.
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Then a hurricane hits, stranding Lucas and Doreen in the house of both their dreams. As the winds howl outside, the passion rages inside—hotter than the sweltering summer night…and twice as explosive.
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Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
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