Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring?
Grade : C+

I tend to enjoy the Harlequin Presents Extra books as drama-filled but with more modern characters than the usual Harlequin Presents; some, however, are definitely better than others. With uneven relationship development and plotting that didn't entirely work for me, Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring? was only a shade better than average.

First of all, I liked the idea of the main characters. Cali McGovern is a project manager, determined to work her way up the corporate ladder. She pretty much blew her career several years ago when she moved to follow a boyfriend and left her company in the lurch. She has come to Chicago determined to do a good job and is poised to take the sort of position she'd aimed for before her ill-fated romance spoiled her plans.

Cali isn't looking for anyone, but her first meeting with surgeon Jake Tyler is definitely unforgettable. It starts off as quite the "meet cute," with Jake swooping in to rescue Cali from a persistent man in a club. The two talk and flirt, and the dialogue is definitely wittier than the average. At this point, the book really held my attention.

However, as the relationship starts to develop, so do the book's problems. Cali needs a place to live while in Chicago, so she winds up in an apartment building Jake owns. This of course puts Cali in close proximity to him and, even though they're both supposed to be working long hours, they still manage to cross paths quite a bit.

I could buy Jake and Cali being thrown together because they often make for good reading while they're together. Cali's job isn't just a prop; the tension between her attraction to Jake and her devotion to career feels real. Just as the chemistry between these two feels real, so do the obstacles. The story has plenty of drama and I liked that it didn't feel manufactured.

However, as the two move into more of a physical relationship, the problems became too many for me to ignore. First of all, the first time they actually have sex, Jake starts to hold back, but Cali urges him on saying, "I'm on the pill." That pulled me right out of the story. After all, these are two people who have known each other for a rather short time and yet they don't even think about condoms. Haven't they ever heard of STDs?

In addition, while the career-relationship tension seems realistic, the couple did get into a very annoying cycle as their relationship developed. First one or the other would declare their relationship to be just a fling, nothing serious. Then signs of deeper emotion would creep in. The two would talk, declare things just a fun fling again, and have more sex. I could believe the "just a fling, let's avoid anything serious" bit for a little while, but the avoidance of a real relationship went on a little too long between these two. As a result, I started to get a little bored while reading and I noticed that I managed to finish a 500+ page book in less time than it took me to read this one. That's a real problem.

Still, even with its flaws, Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring? isn't awful by any stretch. There are some good ideas in here, but the development of the core relationship needed streamlining. It's still a little better than the average, but not enough for me to recommend it.

Reviewed by Lynn Spencer
Grade : C+
Book Type: Series Romance

Sensuality: Hot

Review Date : June 17, 2010

Publication Date: 2010/06

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Lynn Spencer

I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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