The Book Gourmet

Dr. Isabel Favor has hit rock bottom. She's broke, her reputation is in tatters. For a self-help guru she apparently can fix everyone else's life but her own.So she takes a vacation. And where better than Tuscany, Italy, the favorite hiding place for the Americans (see the movie with Diane Lane if you don't know what I'm talking about).An encounter with a drop-dead gorgeous Italian leaves her shaken, especially when she runs out on him just before they do the bow chicka wow wow.Thinking herself safe in her small Tuscan cottage, she's in for quite a surprise when her drop-dead gorgeous Italian appears to own the villa the cottage belongs to and he's not Italian. Well, not entirely.He's Lorenzo "Ren" Gage, the Hollywood's favorite bad guy. He makes his living killing people... in the movies. And he's adamant on making Isabel's life hell. At least she thinks so.I couldn't help the feeling there is something missing with this book.Don't get me wrong, the characterization is wonderful, you can really relate to Isabel's transformation from lost, self-help guru with no idea about her future into a strong, self-assured woman who knows her place in world and is not afraid to jump through hoops to get her guy.Ren Gage is the ultimate alpha hero. Tall, dark, devilishly handsome, with a body to kill for. He's also incredibly self-assured. On the outside... Inside he's an emotional cripple that doesn't see what he's got until it's almost too late.The language is fluent, painting a word picture of Tuscany and the life there that is astounding.Yet, despite all this, there was something off-putting to the whole deal. It just didn't have the oomph I was expecting and it left a bitter after taste when I put the book down.