ARC Review for With or Without Panties. Spoilers removed.
Although Karen Lieversz has a plethora of anthologies under her belt, With or Without Panties is her debut novel romantic comedy. The quirkiness and chemistry of her characters with the splash of suspense and a pinch of bromance makes this book an instant favorite.
What is a fate worse than death? According to Claire, being caught with ugly panties. Refusing to ever be caught in the tragic situation of her dear departed grandmother, Claire has made it her life mission to always have on nice, matching undergarments (what sort of monster would wear anything mismatched!) To prove that her attitude towards panties is healthy and in no way neurotic, compulsive, or borderline dysfunctional - Claire agrees to wear the underwear her mother gave her as a gift to her job interview. At this point, Claire needed all the luck she can get to finally move closer to her dream career. Determined to make a good first impression, hideous underwear and all, Claire heads to her interview but accidentally misses her stop. Knowing a short cut and confident that fate has better things to do, Claire quick change of course causes her to step right in front of a car! Squealing brakes and one gorgeous, yet irate driver later - Claire finds herself face to face with the most intoxicating man she has ever seen. Shocked, shaken, and a little turned on - Claire accepts Detective Jake’s offer to hang out at the precinct while she composes herself. Problem? She is still wearing her hideous underwear! As irrational as it is, she refuses to tempt fate again and removes the offensive garment before anyone could ever know. Big mistake as one drug sniffing dog is about to turn Claire's world upside down. Who would have thought a pair of underwear could cause so much trouble!
While With or Without Panties was a very compelling story, the predictability prevented me from being pulled into it as deep as I would have liked. Still quite enjoyable and humorous at times, the message of drugs, abuse of drugs, and the damage it can do not only to the users but to loved ones was the foundation of this book. I loved that Karen was able to get her message across without being preachy. She presented drug use in different stages, from the casual user who justifies taking unprescribed medication, to the addict, to essentially the aftermath of an addiction gone wrong. She mixes in the message of finding healthy ways to cope with the stressors of every day life, i.e. seeking the help of therapist and/or having a strong support system, with sharp wit and great care.
Speaking of support system, I loved Jake and Greg’s relationship. Their overly macho yet vulnerable and compassions relationship resembled a brotherly love to be envied.
As mentioned initially, a lot of the book was far too predictable which took away from build ups and big reveals. The author had a tendency to harp/reiterate certain details to the point of redundancy that you could predict why she kept mentioning them in the first place. I would be interested in reading her next book to see if she works this out a little more, allowing the reader to "figure out" connections versus handing it to them to ensure they aren't missed.
Insanely hot at times, kudos to Karen for moving away from the "stereotypical" cop persona and allowing a reserved yet wicked side of Jake. The moments Claire and Jake were together were some of the sweetest mixed with steamiest moments I have read.
From cheeky moments, to great supporting characters, to a message that will stick with you beyond the last page, With or With Panties was a surprisingly enriching story. Congrats to Karen on her debut novel. I am interested to see what else she will produce in the future.