C2’s review of Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson
Contemporary romance published by Avon 27 April 2010

What happens when an out-of-work scream queen goes to work for a pro athlete dealing with a career-ending injury?  In Rachel Gibson’s latest, Nothing But Trouble, we find out.
This story picks up pretty much right where Gibson’s last book, True Love and Other Disasters, left off.  The Seattle Chinooks have just won the Stanley Cup.

Mark Bressler is the former team captain of the Seattle Chinooks.  Mark should be thrilled that his team just won the most coveted prize in hockey, but all he can think about is the fact that he wasn’t able to play in the final games.  Just before the end of the season, he was in a terrible car crash that left him unable to play the sport he loves.  Mark is unhappy and bitter and does not want anyone around – especially not the home health care workers the Chinook organization keeps sending to his house to assist in his after-care.  He has getting rid of the nurses down to a science…until a tiny, blonde-and-pink haired dynamo shows up on his doorstep.

Chelsea Ross’s acting career is not going the way she wants it to.  She is tired of being cast as the bimbo/slutty pal of the heroine and working as a personal assistant to D-list celebrities while watching less talented actors succeed.  Breast-reduction, along with improving her health and well-being, will encourage directors to cast her for her acting ability rather than her measurements, she hopes.  But breast-reduction surgery is expensive so when her sister Bo offers her a job working as personal assistant to an injured hockey player – and tells her there will be a $10,000 bonus if she lasts three months – Chelsea packs up and leaves LA for Seattle, home of the Chinooks.

Watching these two strong personalities clash – Mark wants to be left alone and Chelsea won’t leave – is enjoyable.  While humorous, the book never descends into slapstick.  And more serious issues are addressed – drug dependency, body image, family relationships and more – without things getting preachy or losing track that this is a romance.  Yes, the $10,000 bonus has the dubious honor of being the Big Misunderstanding but it is resolved quickly, thank goodness.

Since I did not enjoy TL&OD, my expectations for this book were relatively low.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with Mark and Chelsea’s story.  They behaved like real people do, rather than how people in a romance novel do, and the relationship didn’t seem forced.  That’s pretty high praise don’t you think, faithful reader?

Grade: B

Summary:

Trouble . . .
Chelsea Ross’s acting career has been a total bust. The closest she ever came to stardom was her brilliant performance as “Pretty Dead Girl #1.” But leaving Hollywood to become the personal assistant to a famous hockey player could be her stupidest career move ever.
More trouble . . .
Injured superstar Mark Bressler’s glory days are over. The bad-boy ex-jock could at least be civil to the pint-sized, pink-haired bombshell who the Seattle Chinooks hired to be his P.A. If Chelsea didn’t need the money, she’d be running from the world’s biggest jerk as fast as her feet could carry her.
Big trouble!
Chelsea can deal with Mark’s rotten attitude and dark moods. The problem is those biceps and that red-hot bod! And when the bad boy starts to put the moves on her, Chelsea knows it’s time she banished him to the penalty box . . . if only she could resist the kind of trouble he has in mind!

Link to longer excerpt HERE!

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