Several years ago, I read and enjoyed a few of Leanne Banks’ books, and since then I’ve always kept an eye out for new books by her. When I saw her new book Trouble in High Heels on the list of books to review, I was excited. Unfortunately, by the end of it, I was disappointed.

Heiress Lori Granger’s father died, leaving her with a lot of money – and a lot of qualifications on how she can spend it. Lori’s a philanthropist, and loves to give her father’s money away to causes great and small. However, when she begins to exceed her allowance, her new accountant, Jackson James, has to step in. Lori’s father’s will tries to control her, just as he did in life, by limiting her access to the money until she’s 30 – or, she can get married, and her husband will be in charge of the checkbook. Frustrated by her father, and Jackson’s inability to understand her extreme generosity, Lori decides to take the second option. She enlists Jackson to find her a man who will be her husband until she turns 30.

When the word gets out that an attractive, young heiress is looking for a husband, Lori and Jackson find themselves inundated with requests for interviews from just about every unmarried man in Dallas. So they decide to go to a ranch where Lori used to spend time, before a terrible accident frightened her away from horses. Also at the ranch is Geoffrey, an impoverished British duke who is a prime candidate to be Lori’s husband.

The one thing I noticed right off the bat with this book was that it lacked subtlety in the writing. I don’t think there was ever a moment that I had to stop and ask myself, “How do Lori or Jackson feel about this?” because it was all stated quite clearly. I would have liked a bit more “showing,” as they say in creative writing classes, instead of “telling.”

Lori and Jackson were both, for the most part, likable characters. It was something of an attraction-of-opposites story, with the level-headed and ambitious accountant paired with the open-hearted but secretly tortured rich-girl. They had chemistry together, but I occasionally found that a bit forced. Now, I like love scenes just as much as, well, the average romance novel reader, but there were a few moments where the author made a scene sexual when it just wasn’t necessary. A few times, I wondered if it was really necessary to hear about Jackson’s erection; it was probably added in to boost the sexual chemistry between the two, but they really didn’t need it.

The pacing was off for me, too. Chapter breaks seemed awkward and jarring, some scenes went by too quickly, and others were dragged on. The ending felt a bit rushed, and the revelation of important information was casually tossed in as an aside. However, Trouble in High Heels has a few really good moments, and fairly strong side characters. I wish the writing could have been stronger, but the story is average rather than bad.