Hawaii can be the perfect setting for a romance — it’s hot, sultry, and sexy. Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy is all these things, but it lacked the true, everlasting love that is a must-have component of a strong romance.

Kauai Police Chief Kane Travers is annoyed at his forced suspension. He did nothing wrong, but for personal and political reasons, allegations have been made against him and he now finds himself with nothing to do until he can go back to work. All that changes one morning on the beach when he sees a naked, unconscious woman on the beach who nearly drowned. He saves her and brings her back to his house, quickly realizing that she has a lot more secrets than most near drowning victims.

Annie Parks has her own agenda and the last thing she wants is attention from a police officer. But when her attempt at faking amnesia falls flat, Kane’s curious and somewhat suspicious nature — along with his very strong attraction to her — makes him keep her close to his side. And, despite the fact that he is suspended, his coworkers begin to involve him in a case of a missing yacht and a murder that points straight to Annie.

Both characters have parts of their past they aren’t eager to share. There’s a reason Annie’s in Hawaii, one that isn’t quite legal, and it stems back to a man who permanently damaged her mother. Kane has had a bad track record with women, as any he becomes attached to winds up dying before her time. He’s also suffering from the event that resulted in his suspension. However, both begin to fall for each other, even as the events surrounding the disappearance of the yacht begin to become more complicated and damning for Annie.

Though I liked both characters individually, they spent a huge amount of time sniping at each other. While the title of this book sounds very titillating, in actuality it more aptly applies to Kane and Annie’s constant bickering. However, despite this, it’s clear they began to care for each other — and they certainly don’t lack physical chemistry, either. Their emotions come to a head when Kane delivers a moving and heartfelt monologue about the grieving process after losing a spouse.

However, this book didn’t pass my own little “happily ever after” test. After I finish a book, close it, and reflect on the ending, I find myself imagining the couple five years later, ten years later, with kids, and so on. But when I tried to picture Kane and Annie…I couldn’t. Despite Kane’s speech at the end to express his love for her, I wasn’t convinced of their everlasting love. I don’t doubt they could have had a satisfying relationship, but when it came to “forever” – I just couldn’t imagine it.

Overall, this book was funny, fast-paced, and entertaining. It really is just my inability to picture Kane and Annie forever that dropped the grade since there just wasn’t enough true romance building between them. There is definitely chemistry and caring, but that true HEA that allows readers to trust and believe that the hero and heroine will be together forever just wasn’t strong enough.