FOR KICKS

Author: Jenna Bayley-Burke ISBN: 9780979325274 3/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: BLACK LYON PUBLISHING

He's about to show her ... On the management fast-track, Breeze Cohen has no time for family. No interest in love. No inclination toward romance, lust, dating-or anything that doesn't include retail business strategy and cornerstone client Nitrous' most important product launch ever. No way is she going to let a live-for-the-moment, life-is-only-about-fun guy like Logan Chandler tarnish her professional reputation and derail her career. .. his plan for her isn't just for kicks. Recovered from a near-fatal bus accident, Logan has successfully moved from professional soccer player to key player for Nitrous Kicks athletic shoes. Only one woman is capable of managing his project the right way, but the proper kind of management will take time together. And that's exactly what Logan Chandler is counting on to help him get close to her heart and stay close-if he can ever catch up with her.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

FOR KICKS is an engaging retail romance!

Breeze Cohen has modeled herself after her grandmother and at twenty-six is working one hundred-hour weeks in order to be the youngest store manager in her company's history. She's basically given up on family and friends, and certainly men don't fit into her life either. Logan Chandler takes the opposite approach. After losing his family and first career, he works hard but plays hard, too. Though he never stays around for long, he plays fast and loose to get the women he wants. This time, he wants Breeze.

FOR KICKS is a great read for those who like a dose of realism with their romance. If you've been or are a working woman, you're going to feel the compromises in each decision Breeze makes, and worry with her about the consequences. Logan is impossible to resist, but his position in Breeze's professional life means he comes with danger attached. If only all workplace romances turned out so well! FOR KICKS is definitely a fairy tale.

In addition to a romance, this is also a coming-of-age story. Do you try to reproduce your loved ones' lives, or do you find a path of your own making? It's hard to strike out without a blueprint, but that's part of growing up for most people.

Jenna Bayley-Burke is a rising star, and I look forward to reading more of her sparkling love stories!

Heather Hiestand