This was a perfect summer read for me: Light, fun, with a likeable hero and heroine. It says a lot that even though I had problems with some of the characters’ behavior, I still found it to be an enjoyable read, and one that I can recommend.

Marissa – or Mari – Marshall recently received her PhD in Psychology. As an escape from studying and a way of venting about a series of bad dates, Mari set up the blog Mad-Mari.com. The site was witty and popular, and led to Mari writing a few popular books while in grad school. Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “grad school is hard; all people do is study.” I, however, found Mari’s escape from studying to be pretty realistic, and a lot more creative and healthy than many of the studying escapes I’ve encountered.

Now, with PhD in hand, Mari is getting ready for her first professional job interview, a temporary teaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy. Things go awry before the interview begins, with a too tight skirt, a late arrival, and a visible panty line. Things brighten a bit when she meets a drop dead gorgeous man she assumes is a mechanic.

Danny Wilkes is no mechanic. He’s a navy pilot with dreams of becoming an astronaut. In his early years as a pilot Danny was quite a player. While he’s put that behavior behind him, he feels a strong attraction to Mari, and the two agree to meet for drinks. This being a Blaze, the drinks lead to a night of hot sex. I often have problems when couples have sex too early in their relationship, but it worked just fine for me in this book.

A series of roadblocks keep Mari and Danny’s relationship from going smoothly. Chief among these is Mari’s experience with her father, a military man who had an affair on every base. I didn’t feel that Mari’s past weighed her down as much as it could have, but it definitely explained why she was reluctant to get involved with Danny, or to expect that they could have a long term relationship.

I did think that at times, Mari and Danny didn’t use very good judgment. Danny gets roped into helping with Mari’s class, and, while Mari consciously tries to dress appropriately for her position (in incredibly boring clothes and hairstyles), she and Danny have a number of inappropriate conversations in front of the students, to say nothing of having sex in questionable places. But despite that, I liked Danny and Mari, and the book held my interest. I’ll definitely look for future books by the author.

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