Love's Mountain Quest

1.5 stars...not quite okay
Overall, I think I was extra disappointed because I connected so easily with the characters in the first book. I really liked Joanna in that one and was looking forward to hearing her story.

When Joanna's son disappears, she has to set out on a quest to find him. Along with her comes a single man and soon sparks fly. That's where I quickly lost touch with the sense of reality. Most mothers I know would be 100% crazy focused on finding that kid again. I mean, in book 1 we saw just how much Joanna had lost and how much that one child meant the world to her.

Until Mr. Perfect walked in. Mr. Perfect who wants to let her kiss him but not ever consider marriage. Mr. Perfect whose body is perfection too, and who she lusts after even while helping patch him up after an injury. Who she wants to make out with so badly that they leave a horse bleeding out after a wolf attack while they stop for heavy breathing and kissing. Sorry, but that just doesn't work for me.

I did want to hear more about Laura, though I didn't think it realistic that a murderer and thief wouldn't take what he pleased right off on day 1. But of course the girl needed to be unsullied for the good guy in book three...I really lost the reality of the danger because the bad guy wasn't even greedy enough to be consistent. Not that I want a rape scene. I just felt the bad guy was more of a stock character than anything else. He didn't scare me.

Anyway, I hit overload on sensuality and lust in this one even though it didn't quite cross the line to not be clean...it just played the line and focused way too much on sexual tension, both consensual and non.

I'll be trying the third book but I'm not as excited for it as I had been for this one.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.