The Book Gourmet

Okay, so it wasn't a vast improvement from the previous two books, but it came across a little freshed, so it deserved a little higher rating (since we don't get half stars, it got a whole one).

Yes, the suspense pretty much went down the drain after it was revealed why the baddies were after Claire, I'd like to see a little more ambiguity to keep things more interesting, but it was okay, I guess. It lasted longer than before, at least.

The characters for once didn't make me flinch (overly much). Claire was a bit too whiny for my tastes and she was apparently blind, but we can credit her childhood for that.
Hotwire has been my favorite of the three mercs since the beginning of the series and I'm glad my "fascination" wasn't unfounded. Like his friends, his excuse for the no-commitment clause was a bit far-fetched and got old pretty fast, but in the end he came through and showed he wasn't as emotionally-retarded as his friends...He was as blind as them, though. To think it took two ex-commitmentphobics to open his eyes to the truth is telling something.

The romance, for once, didn't leave me yawning and its progress was nice and consistent, not the usual snap-of-fingers kind of deal. The only thing that bothered me was the quickness of feeling-development on Claire's side...But the way the two leisurely slid into a more intimate relationship and then accepted what was between them (though it took them a little longer to name the thing between them) was nice to behold and a true relief for me and my fears it might turn into yet another carbon copy of the previous two books.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a masterpiece and will never end up on my keeper shelf (I'll probably never pick it up again), but after the two duds, this lesser dud was a nice respite.