I’ve read countless category romances just like Nothing Personal by Elisa Adams, which is, at heart, yet another variation of the older-woman-younger-man theme – same arguments, same development of story, same twists and turns. However, Elisa Adams’s take on this well-trodden path held my interest and was a pleasure to read.

Carla Michaels, a self-assured and poised 35, has recently – and unaccountably – developed the hots for her hunky neighbor Leo. Normally she would have acted on the mutual attraction, if only it wasn’t Leo, of all people! Not only is Leo ten years her junior, he also is her best friend Alice’s little brother. She even used to help Alice baby-sit him and still is a regular in his parents’ home. Carla squirms at the mere thought of what her pal Alice would think. Then again, since she and Leo raise the temperature in the air whenever they run into each other, this newfound lust is not just wishful thinking on her part. Leo no longer fits the image of the boy she has known all her life; he is scrumptious and mature and all grown-up. However, Leo isn’t Mr. Right (whom Carla looks out for). He’s at most Mr. Fantasy. Or Mr. Memorable Fling, if she ever musters up the courage to take things further (provided it won’t affect her friendship with Alice).

For Leo Spencer, having out-of-reach Carla, the crush of his adolescent years and still utterly desirable as far as he’s concerned, finally notice him as a member of the opposite sex is like a dream come true. He has always compared every woman he ever dated with her and found them lacking. Now that Carla seems to have caught up with him at last, he must plan his moves carefully to convince her that he indeed is her Mr. Right.

Too often in this kind of story, the rift of age and life experience between the older heroine and the younger hero is a problem that only bothers her a great deal, while it’s obvious to everyone else that her assumptions about him are unfounded, and the back and forth gets old quickly. In Elisa Adams’s skilled hands, however, Carla’s reservations, if not new, are understandable and articulate, and Leo’s character arc is, albeit taking a shortcut and in fast-forward mode, credible.

Carla is comfortable with herself, although at 35, she has to work harder and harder to keep herself in shape and is fretfully aware of the merciless biological clock ticking. She can’t stop thinking about Leo, but there’s no doubt whatsoever, to her mind, they are in different, non-compatible stages of their lives. She is ready to settle down, whereas in her opinion, men his age just aren’t keen on commitment.

Leo is cute and compelling. It’s easy to warm up to a gorgeous guy who’s been pining for his dream woman forever. But to find him still appealing after seeing him through his family’s eyes drives home how well-rounded a character he is. Leo has my heartfelt, chuckling sympathy, and respect, for standing his ground against his bossy, no-nonsense sister Alice.

There is nothing to this book’s plot that I haven’t read before. It’s predictable and conformable. What lifts Nothing Personal above the average is the writing. Although I already knew what Elisa Adams was telling, I loved her narrative voice and didn’t resent knowing in advance what was around the next corner.

I took much pleasure in following the characters’ trains of thoughts and interaction with each other. Their motivations and banter ring so natural and true, I quickly took to Carla, Leo, and Alice as I happily immersed into the book. At the end of the day, I found Carla and Leo well-matched and Nothing Personal a cozy tale well worth my time.