I won my choice of ebooks from a member of Jewel E. Ann's Facebook reader group and I chose Naked Love, her latest release. She has a fairly large back catalogue and I've only read three of them. I don't know how much they tie together or not, so it was great to me that Naked Love features Jake, a secondary character from the Holding You duology, which I have read.

This book shares the plotting magic of the other books I've read. She has the ability to create one-in-a-billion situations to add stress to her characters' relationships, without quite crossing over my "drama llama" trigger. She skates close enough that I don't think I could binge-read a bunch of her books at once, but one or two are good for the days you feel like having your heart ripped out and then resuscitated.

I can't say that Avery is anywhere close to my favourite heroine. I don't want the ladies to be perfect, but she is messed up ways that just annoy me. It doesn't have anything to do with how she is written, Jewel always seems to create nuanced and realistic people, but just the type of person she is. I spent the at least the first half of the book wanting to smack her upside the head. But on further reflection, at least I was engaged, instead of bored.

I like Jake a lot more. He's got his issues too, but on the whole he's got his act much more together. In the end, I feel like Avery gains more from their relationship than he does, but since they are happy together, that's what counts. ( )

4 stars

Normally, I love everything that this author writes and wish I could rank it higher. However, I didn't connect with the characters in this one like I usually do. That isn't to say that it wasn't good as it was just not one that knocked me on my behind.

That is the beauty of books though, what doesn't move me doesn't mean the next one won't or that it might not be just what someone else loves. ( )