There’s no question that sometimes external plots in romances really get out of hand. But, geez, there’s anther side of that fence represented by this book in which we are treated to endless details of the lives of two rather bland and ordinary characters. It doesn’t make for a riveting book.

The plot hinges on a creaky device usually limited to historical romance: The heroine must marry within the year or she will lose control of the car dealership that’s been in her family for generations. O-o-o-o-o-kay. Reeling from the news, heroine JJ Caruthers has a one-nighter with hunky Navy SEAL Davy Graziano after a wedding they both attend. She never expects to see Davy again and – wouldn’t you just know it – fate and romance authors decree otherwise.

The two are connected via one of those incestuous romance novel thingies – Davy knows the hero from the previous book who is the groom at the wedding and JJ is associated with said groom’s ex mother-in-law. Not that it matters. But it takes nearly a year for JJ and Davy to meet again – time enough for her to be thisclose to getting engaged to a milquetoast and for Davy to be seriously wounded in Afghanistan. Complete with some memory loss. See where we’re going now?

Soon enough JJ proposes to Davy a marriage of convenience so she can keep the car dealership. Davy wants JJ, but not in the platonic sense. Can he convince JJ to make their marriage a real one?

Truth is, though I’ve read far worse books than this one, I didn’t give a rat’s ass. Neither JJ nor Davy came to life on the page – not even once. The problem, I think, is the endless details with which the author weighs down her story. I know w-a-a-a-a-a-y more than I ever wanted to about car dealerships and how they run; how to get around in Wilmington, North Carolina; and every friggin’ detail about the backstories of numerous secondary characters that simply weren’t central to the story. All I have to say about all that is, can I get a Red Bull, please?

Sourcebooks Casablanca is an interesting publisher. They seem willing to take a chance (though there’s nothing chance-y about a SEAL book) and that is to be applauded. But, with that said, this book just isn’t ready for primetime. Not even close.