SWEET SPOT

Author: Susan Mallery ISBN: 9780373773145 8/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HQN

"Responsibility" should be Nicole Keyes's middle name. After all, not many people would sacrifice their lives to run the family bakery and raise a younger sibling. But with Nicole's twin sister now blissfully married and her younger sis turning out more femme fatale than girl next door, superreliable Nicole is getting sick of putting everyone else's needs first! Enter Hawk. The deliciously sexy former NFL player offers Nicole a taste of the freedom she craves. Hawk may know the way, blindfolded, to her sweet spot, but Nicole's not about to let him get close enough to break her heart. Of course, she might not have a choice in the matter if Hawk's past keeps getting in the way of their present....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

SWEET SPOT is the second novel in author Susan Mallery's Bakery Sisters series, starring the three Keyes sisters: twins Claire and Nicole, and their younger sister, Jesse.

Nicole Keyes has always been the responsible sister. When her mother left home to tour the world with Claire, a concert pianist, it was Nicole that was left to run the family bakery and raise Jesse. But now Claire has returned home to settle down with her new fiancé and raise the baby that is on the way. And after finding Jesse in a compromising position with Nicole's soon-to-be ex-husband Drew, Nicole finds herself feeling alone. The happy life Nicole had planned out, including raising a family of her own, died a quick death when she found Jesse in bed with Drew.

But fate has a way of putting life right back on its track when Nicole meets Raoul, a teenaged football player at the local high school, and his mentor and coach, Eric "Hawk" Hawkins. Suddenly, Nicole finds herself in the care of a teen and having a hot romance with the equally hot Hawk. But having been devastated by her marriage, Nicole isn't too crazy about getting committed. This is A-O.K. with Hawk, a widower raising a teenage daughter on his own. But soon enough, both find they want more from their relationship than either initially set out to get.

Susan Mallery has done it once again in writing a wonderful romantic novel! I've been a fan of this author for a long time. and she just keeps getting better and better which each novel she writes. Mallery is very good with writing family-related romance series, first about the Marcellis who ran a winery. and then about the Buchanan siblings who owned several restaurants. Now, we have three sisters and their bakery, though Nicole is the sister most involved with the day-to-day bakery-related tasks having worked there since she was young. You could really feel Nicole's pain from her broken marriage. but especially the anger and hurt she felt towards her sister Jesse for betraying her the way she did. And even as she held onto that anger, it was very evident that she still felt a need to be there for her sister, who she finds out is also pregnant—possibly with her soon-to-be ex's child. Hawk was a great hero as well, as he was fun and easy to like, but also very sexy. The romance that Nicole and Hawk share was definitely a scorcher. I found myself quickly reading this story, even as I wanted it to last. In fact, I had tried to wait and read the first story in the series, SWEET TALK, but just couldn't keep away from SWEET SPOT because I know Mallery always provides a great read with characters that you can relate to, stories that are realistic and touching, and romances that are sensual.

The final novel in this series is SWEET TROUBLE which, thankfully, comes out in September. I will be waiting, albeit impatiently, to get my hands on that one and find out how things with Jesse, the last sister to have her story told, turn out. Luckily, I have Mallery's SWEET SPOT to keep me occupied for the short wait. This is a great novel that fans of contemporary romance, especially those that revolve around families, will enjoy!

Maame Kanbi