Romancing the Bookworm

by Kate Evangelista

[Cocktails and Books]

3.5 Stars

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, a college co-ed more interested in her romance novels than socializing with anyone and the length a man would go through in order to get her attention. Kate Evangelista managed to create a group of characters and the perfect setting for romance to either swell with the waves or crash and burn. While they managed to do a little bit of both, to storyline kept me engaged and had me hoping to the very end that our hero finally managed to win the heart of the heroine he tried so hard to get.

Xavier Soloman came up with a plan. He enlisted the help of his best friend and his sister to help him lure Tamara Winters, the girl who wouldn't give him the time of day, to their sleepy little beach town during Spring Break. He didn't count on Tamara not seeing him at his best or falling at his feet. But Xavier discovers that what you want most is worth fighting for and he's willing to fight anyone and anything to make sure Tamara ends up with him.

From the very moment we meet Xavier, you can't help but like him. And when his very James Bondish first meeting with Tamara happens, you can't help but pull for Xavier to win Tamara's heart. He might be a hot, sexy surf God with a ton of cash to the girls in Maverick Bay, but doesn't want the girls who only see what he looks like or how fat his wallet might be. He wants the girl who has the same taste in book as his mother. Tamara doesn't fall for his charm and I think the fact that Xavier actually has to work to get Tamara's attention makes him like her more. Then there is his relationship with his step-brother, Zander. Despite the open hostility, you can see that he truly does care for his brother he's just not sure how to go about helping him. It's all those things that make you love Xavier, even when we know he's going to get busted for his deception, you can't fault him for trying whatever he needed to try to get the girl.

With Tamara, I think she's a piece of every one of us. There are many times when I'd rather sit down with a good book than have to deal with the reality of work, kids and life in general. Tamara took that to the extreme, by not really socializing with anyone at all, but she was using the books to escape the reality of missing her parents. She may have counted Ronni as one of her close friends, Tamara realized (once she was threatened with losing her books) that she really didn't know anything about her friend and wasn't a particular good friend because she neglected everyone for her fictional characters. It was nice to see Tamara re-learn to socialize and to stop hiding behind her "tent" and learn to like not only herself but others as well.

This was a surprisingly fun beach read. The awkward attempts from both Xavier and Tamara were endearing and made this the perfect afternoon read.