Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Wyatt Gaudens, an advertising executive and adrenaline junkie, has fine-tuned the art of breaking and entering into apartments, misusing his considerable rock climbing skills. Once inside, he steals a pretty, shiny thing or two. When his friend Reyna complains that her jerk of a boss makes her workplace a living hell, he breaks into her boss's home to get even. More than any other pretty thing, what really catches his eye the most is her boss, Jack.

Working hard to overcome his own lingering problems, investment specialist Jack Azzuri focuses on his second chance at making his business grow. But grief for his sister, Celia, recently killed in a suspicious climbing accident, sabotages his attempt to start over. When he meets Wyatt, he's strongly attracted even though Wyatt is the last person he should associate with. With Jack's explosive temper and Wyatt's adrenaline addiction, the path to a stable relationship will be a tough climb. They might succeed if they can sort out what really matters, as well as learn to take the good with the bad. Wyatt hopes to speed their progress by solving the mystery that’s weighing Jack down: how did Celia really die?

 

Book Review

I love thief-of-heart romances, you know the kind where a clever, heart of gold, burglar gets caught by his intended victim and ends up falling in love. Zipper Fall is an exceptional take on this theme and author Kate Pavelle pulls out all the stops, providing a steamy twist and turn romantic mystery involving two fine specimens of manhood; part-time burglar Wyatt Gaudens and sexy investment banker Jack Azzuri.

Youthful, athletic, and blond, Wyatt appears to be doing pretty well for himself. He’s got a paying gig as an advertising executive at a good firm, he’s an avid rock climber, and he’s got friends with like interests including his gal pal, the smoking hot, redheaded Reyna. Best friends since college, Reyna and Wyatt share each other’s triumphs and woes and tell each other everything. Well, mostly everything, Wyatt has never shared how he gets his adrenaline kicks by breaking into people's homes and stealing stuff. Not big stuff, just a little something to remind him of his accomplishment, well, maybe a little more from those who deserve it for being such pricks.

The point is, he’s good at what he does, he never hurts anyone, and it gives him a thrill to see the underbelly of his victim’s lives. It’s the closest he’ll get to understanding family dynamics given his dysfunctional family and past relationship experiences. When Reyna repeatedly complains about her raging ass of a boss, it’s only natural that Wyatt decides to break into the asshole’s apartment and gain some revenge.  What he finds sends his libido into overdrive and has him breaking his own rules. When his intended victim catches him in the act, Wyatt loses his job, but will he also lose his heart?

Surly, investment banker Jack Azurri’s tall, dark, and handsome looks are only overridden by his formidable temper and demanding professional demeanor. If his temper has been worse lately, it’s probably because he’s rebuilding his million-dollar business after a very public scandal shattered it to smithereens. Also, his sister, Celia, his last living relative, recently died while rock climbing. He’s certain her death wasn’t an accident, but has no way to prove it. When a bit–o-fluff thief rappels down and into his apartment to burgle him, Jack’s anger gets the best of him and he enacts his own brand of revenge.

Both of these characters are terrific. Two private, determined men who are accustomed to dealing with their problems alone, but in completely different ways. Neither of them are looking for a relationship and initially both fight their attraction. I loved the push and pull between them, as each fought to give without giving ground. Kudos to the author for bravely revealing aspects of both leads that could have made them less lovable, but instead made them more realistic and myself more empathetic toward them. Wyatt’s physical vulnerability towards the larger Jack was beautifully portrayed, as was Jack’s frustration at not knowing how to deal with his overwhelming rage. 

And what a fantastic supporting cast, many of whom I hope show up in other stories by this author. Arrow to the heart emotional content grounds this story, but there is also a lot of action as solving the mystery of what happened to Jack’s sister draws the two men closer. A very enjoyable read. Hot sex scenes and a genuine “gang of friends” feel to Wyatt’s rock climbing buds provide a gleaming polish to this uncut diamond.

Thank you, Kate Pavelle, for this remarkably romantic thriller, which revealed that self-reliant does not necessarily mean alone.  “Sexy, Adrenaline rush”

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 330 pages/104502 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	20-September-2013
Price
Buy Link	OUT OF PRINT