Lyndi W.'s Reviews > Instant Attraction

I was kinda surprised that this was a Jill Shalvis book, because I've read a lot of romantic suspense from her and there are rarely humorous moments. But this book had me laughing all throughout. The informal writing was a nice touch. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a comedy or stick it on a humor shelf, but it had plenty of amusing moments and I claim the informal writing had a lot to do with that.

It was a light, cushy read that used the no-strings-attached-fling-that-turns-into-love trope. Since there wasn't a lot of dwelling on the characters convincing themselves they weren't in love, the book wasn't subject to my "people who want to be miserable" phobia.

While Shalvis uses some commonly used traits for her characters, it feels a little like a copy+paste of bits and pieces of a dozen of her other characters. I imagine she uses a cork-board covered in Post-It notes that read "brooding, sports star, scarred, special ops, highly intelligent, orphan, 5 sisters, doctor, reclusive, animal lover, city boy, undercover, bilingual, charming, widowed, survivor's guilt, amnesia, passive-aggressive, has evil twin, vulnerable, cop, abused as child, owns a jet, romantic, rich cowboy, framed for murder, doesn't trust women, reluctantly romantic, generous, daddy issues, fireman, prisoner of war, competitive, 2 brothers, blonde, creative, scar on eyebrow, scar on lip, etc." And she just throws darts at a the board until she has enough cards to complete her character. Toss in the automatic "strong, handsome, possessive, gentle but fierce, protective" traits and you've got a lead male.

Then again, all authors that pump out books faster than that lady on "20 Kids & Counting" pumps out babies will probably reuse characteristics. And I doubt anyone wants to read about the scrawny, weak-minded, partially deaf, swamp rat, cat lover anyway.