Elise Markham has absolutely no self-confidence. She once had a large port wine stain on one of her cheeks and was once chosen to attend a dog party (bastards!), so besides being painfully shy she doesn’t think she’s worth looking at. Though she had the port wine stain lasered off she still sees it every time she looks in the mirror. On top of that she feels she’s one step away from the Hunchback of Notre Dame because of her scoliosis. Sure she had surgery but her hips don’t line up and she has one shoulder higher than the other – who would want someone so freakish?
Well, Rome Lozado would. He’s quite taken with Elise but thinks she’s scared of him as she won’t ever talk to him. He doesn’t understand it at all and wishes he could ease her fear. Rome is out getting a drink when it starts to storm. His attempt to get home on his motorcycle fails and he ends up seeking shelter at the local B & B. Elise is there alone but is happy to let him stay until the storm passes. They start drinking beer and eventually Rome discovers Elise isn’t scared of him, she has an almost debilitating shyness. He manages to loosen her up with a question and answer drinking game and they discover they a lot about each other.

The next day Elise heads out to her brothers Survival Expeditions ranch to see Rome. She ends up asking him to take her virginity (brave girl). Rome agrees and they decide to meet. What started out as a sex date turns into a real date – with more dates to follow. The more time that Rome and Elise spend together the more they like each other. Too bad Elise’s brother Grant wants Rome to stay far away from Elise and threatens Rome’s job. Grant judges Rome by what he sees on the outside without getting to know the man inside. Because of this may just end something beautiful between Rome and Elise.

What a sweet book this was. I just loved Elise’s and Rome’s characters and together they were on fire.

Elise – with her painful shyness and lack of self confidence made my heart hurt. She seriously thought she was horribly ugly and because she was so sheltered all of her life she sometimes couldn’t even talk to people. Elise thought Rome was incredibly hot with his piercings and his tattoos but she just couldn’t talk around him. I was so happy when he finally figured out that she wasn’t scared of him and he so gently brought her out of her shell. I though Elise was perfect for Rome who had had such a horrible life up until that point.

Rome was…oh man, I’m not sure I can come up with enough adjectives to describe how wonderful he was. He was kind, thoughtful, hard-working, hot, sweet, gentle & sexy to name a few. He is amazing with people and Elise in particular. Despite his horrible parents he is an honorable man, though a tad bit self-sacrificing. I was so happy when Elise didn’t give up on him when her brother tried to scare him off. He was worth it in the end.

This was a great story that had wonderful characters, was written well and was fun to read. What more could I ask for?

Rating: 4 out of 5