So, let's say that a kick ass crumper or ballroom dancer comes the audition and EVERYONE loves that person. They have a great personality and are truly talented in the genre of dance. The question is, can this person do more than crump / ballroom dance? Over the years, many one trick ponies have made appearances and I always get excited, hoping that they can do more. Many times, the judges will send those dancers to choreography to see if they can really dance. It's truly wonderful thing when you see a dancer that is talented in all of the genres. (And it's kind of sad when they can't follow choreography or just cannot dance in any other genre well)
Cristin Harber is no one trick pony. Her romantic suspense series, Titan, is one of my very favorites in general and I believe she is one of the best writers in the genre. Now she has given us the contemporary romance/NA backstory/prequel of Cash and Nicola's story from Garrison's Creed. I absolutely adored Cash and Nicola in Garrison's Creed and I love them EVEN MORE after reading Sweet Girl. The great thing about this book was that I immediately wanted to read Garrison's Creed again. And I did. After reading about Cash and Nicola in Sweet Girl, their relationship made that much more sense to me in GC. Plus, finding out how Nicola's situation unfolded and knowing why Nicola made the decisions she did is enlightening.
Ms. Harber can easily switch gears between romantic suspense and contemporary romance because fundamentally, she an incredible writer. She always includes little details in scenes that enhance the feeling of the scene for me. It's things like describing the sound a wine bottle makes scraping across the concrete and small little things that always bring me right into the moment with them.
They stood there, connected, with his hand wrapped around her bicep. Not talking. Not looking. The occasional jock or sorority girl walked by. Said hey. Unconsciously, his thumb smoothed over her skin, making his eyelids sink shut. The quietest gasp fell form her lips. He heard it, savored it, opened his eyes to meet her brown ones. They were stuck in a moment that wouldn't quit.
In Sweet Girl, Ms. Harber gives us Cash, Roman and Nicola in college. Roman and Cash have been uber protective of Nicola for most of her life and the more than friends feelings that Cash and Nicola cannot be ignored any longer. There is a lot of sneaking around, thanks to Roman being...well...Roman. Roman is such the over protective big brother and he does not make Nic's dating life easy at all. I loved all the moments between Cash and Nicola when they finally give in to the deep feelings and passion that they feel for each other. And who can forget Cash calling Nic..."sweet girl"? It's all very sigh worthy.
Sweet Girl is a contemporary romance with a touch of NA (Only due to the characters' ages) it did not feel like it in the ways that have a tendency to annoy me. I just loved this book and it enriched my reading experience of Garrison's Creed. This is one of the best books I've read in recent memory, it really stuck with me for quite a while.
If you have somehow managed to miss the Titan series (WHY?? HOW???) you need to rectify that ASAP.
P.S. I CANNOT WAIT FOR ROMAN.
Purchase Sweet Girl : Amazon // Kobo // iTunes
Purchase: Garrison's Creed: Amazon // B&N // iTunes // Kobo
This review was originally posted on Straight Shootin' Book Reviews