Beguiled Again (Goodreads)
I saw a review of this on Elsa's blog, Lost Inside the Covers, and had to get a copy. A click on Amazon and moments later the book was mine. I loved the premise. . .
At school Cecelia had been besotted by Jeff, driving him totally crazy. He wanted to kill her she was such a pest. Then school ended and they went their separate ways, until years later they meet again by chance at the supermarket. Only now Cecelia is recovering from a divorce and has three very cute kids kids and a dog. Jeff, never married, has a parrot. Although Cecelia is dying with humiliation at seeing him (all those painful memories of how she'd stalked him!), Jeff is instantly attracted to her and her chaotic life. It doesn't take long for Cecelia to fall for him again, but she fights it with a fierceness any pit bull terrier would admire. Her commitment fears are not all Jeff has to overcome. Cecelia's three children are also an obstacle. But I give the man his due, he certainly persevered! It made for a fun story.
The characters are wonderful too - especially Peter, Cecelia's oldest son. He was so realistic and wonderfully fleshed-out, I could feel his every emotion. Jeff and Cecelia are fun spending time with too. The romance is well-paced and realistic, and I was rooting for Jeff to win his girl. I also loved the ending and would happily have read a few more chapters of Jeff and Cecelia.
For me, the only flaw in this book were the sex scenes. The first one I could cope with. The next two . . . yawn. I really found them tedious and had to do a lot of page skipping. Apart from that it is a fun contemporary romance.
Stars? Three
Cheers
Gwynn
