It’s been a while since I enjoyed a series romance as much as I enjoyed Nancy Warren’s Under the Influence. I think I read this entire book wearing a smile. It’s a fun, sexy, and refreshingly modern version of the classic tale of opposites attracting. And the cocktail recipes at the start of each chapter were a fantastic addition – there are several I will definitely be trying.

Natalie Fanshaw is a corporate efficiency expert from Chicago who’s on assignment at the Hennessey Lodge in the resort town of Orca Bay, California. Natalie is the consummate workaholic, from a family of overachievers. When on location — which is most of the time — she puts in sixteen-hour days and even spends her free time working through problems and solutions in her head. High stress has become such a constant presence in her life that she only notices it when it’s absent – which is never. She also dates men like herself: Type-A overachievers who are more interested in furthering their careers than having fun, or even sex.

One night while sitting in her hotel room in Orca Bay, Natalie just can’t handle staring at spreadsheets any longer. She decides to draw some courage and head to the popular local bar and grill, Driftwood, to have a drink at the bar, alone. Unfortunately for her, after she takes her seat at the bar and takes a look around the restaurant, she realizes that it’s Valentine’s Day and she’s the only single person in attendance. That is, except for sexy bartender Johnny Santini.

Johnny – or “Hot Johnny,” as the local women refer to him — is a man living a completely relaxed life. He surfs. He sails. He’s spontaneous. He’s also not into material possessions, and doesn’t own a car because of the negative environmental impact. He gets around by riding a bike, sailing his boat, or catching the occasional ride with a friend when necessary. He lives in a sparsely furnished house on the beach, he’s quite happy working as a bartender, and there is absolutely nothing stressful about his life. Johnny is the ultimate beach bum.

However, there’s more to Johnny than meets the eye. Just because he’s a slacker now, doesn’t mean he always was. In fact, his beach house on prime Southern California property is paid off, and he owns an apartment building in town. Because he worked hard for a number of years, and didn’t spend his money on material possessions, he’s been able to save quite a bit and build up his net worth. Now he’s living the life that makes him happy, and he doesn’t feel the need to justify his carefree lifestyle to anyone. Most people, like Natalie, assume that he’s poor, but Johnny doesn’t ever correct these assumptions. It’s just not important to him.

Although Natalie is very attracted to Johnny, she hesitates to act on it, simply because she knows it would be a fling – and she’s never done that before. A couple of days and dates later, she realizes just how much fun she has with Johnny; the absence of stress is quite noticeable. So she decides to indulge her fantasy and embark on a fun and fabulous week-long fling with a man who’s totally different from any she’s dated in the past.

I loved these two characters. One of the things I liked best about Johnny is that he isn’t one of those dime-a-dozen heroes who bed a different woman every night, and never stay the night because god forbid she gets the wrong idea. I just want to shake those guys and shout, “Get over yourself!” As a serial monogamist, Johnny was a lovely change of pace. His relationships with women may last a night, a week, or a month, but when he’s with a woman, he’s really with her.

I was also quite fond of Natalie. She is definitely a control freak and type-A personality, but she didn’t once grate on my nerves. Her behavior was never too much for me to take, and considering how mellow Johnny is, it was a good balance. Of course Johnny’s laid back lifestyle causes an internal struggle for Natalie because he’s so different from everything she was raised to want or expect in a man. Johnny has absolutely no desire to be the CEO of anything; he’s quite content being a bartender, and nothing more. Now there was one scene when Johnny deliberately misleads Natalie about his finances and I thought he should have corrected her assumptions, but ultimately I understood why he did it. Johnny needs to know that Natalie loves him for who he is, regardless of occupation or financial assets.

Together, Natalie and Johnny have just the right combination of organization and spontaneity; too much of either one is a bad thing. Their core values are the same; they just have different personalities and approaches to life. This is no better shown than when Natalie first discovers that Johnny doesn’t own a car. Her first thought is, “Who [doesn’t] even own a car? He couldn’t be that poor, could he?” When he tells her that it’s because of the greenhouse gasses, she thinks, “Or, at least [that’s] his story.” Driving a car is better because it’s more efficient, right? Her attitude changes once she’s cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway, riding along the ocean. It’s been years since she’s been on a bike, and she finds it exhilarating. The experience makes her wonder why she’d ever given up something she enjoyed so much. She never again questions why Johnny doesn’t own a car.

In addition to the main story, there’s a sexy secondary romance between Johnny’s best friend Ben, and rival bartender Rita that I thoroughly enjoyed. These two characters had both been seriously burned before and were so afraid to open up and trust someone again. It was great to see them take a chance on each other.

Part of what made this book so enjoyable was the predictability of the ending. I know that sounds strange, but sometimes an ending is predictable simply because it’s the one that best fits the story and it’s the one the reader really wants to see. That’s what made this ending so gratifying. There weren’t any surprises or unresolved issues or Big Misunderstandings. I got exactly the ending I wanted, and it left me with a very satisfied smile on my face.