Jill Shalvis Her Sexiest Mistake

Her Sexiest Mistake

Jill Shalvis

Signet, Dec 2005, $6.99, 320 pp.

ISBN: 0451217098

The first chance Mia Appleby got to scorch her roots she took as she wanted no ties to the trailer where she, her older sister and her mom shared one small living quarter. In Los Angeles she likes her job and her lifestyle insuring no one gets close to her; men appreciate her love them and leave them philosophy. She is content until she sleeps with her new neighbor Kevin McKnight who demands more from her than just a one night or two flings.

While she struggles with the pressure Kevin exerts on her, Mia's past arrives in Los Angeles. Her sixteen years old niece Hope, whom she never met, has arrived looking to escape just like Mia once did. Unable to cope Mia turns to Kevin for help, which he willingly gives as he wants his reluctant neighbor in his life for the rest of his life.

Though a subplot involving betrayal at work seems to add unnecessary angst to a person already over the edge with a traitorous heart and a relative in need, readers will appreciate this strong modern day character study. Mia keeps the tale focused without it turning into a soap opera. She is amiable but aloof until Kevin and Hope begin to push her buttons, which warm up her heart (and other body parts or at lest when he touches her). No mistake this is a fine contemporary romance with deep characters struggling with radical change.

Harriet Klausner