Why I read it: I liked Sweet Dreams so much I bought the rest of the books in the series and started at book 1.Nina has a tough time fighting her attraction to Max, especially when it seems all Max’s friends, her mother and stepdad and the whole town want them together and both she and Max get embroiled in the murder of Max’s ex-friend and the town of Gnaw Bone’s most detested resident – a man everyone has motive to kill, especially Max.
Maybe he got tired of waiting and he’d gone without me though I doubted this was the case and decided he was probably doing something Max-ish. Chopping wood. Building a barn. Saving a child in distress or climbing a tree to rescue a cat. Stuff like that.
Even when Nina is distressed about something, the way she thinks in her head is amusing and it serves to lighten the tension.
In fact, I did want to crawl into a bed, pull the covers over me, shut out the world and anyone who could get in and hurt me and I wanted to sleep. Sleep for decades and wake up a spinster, go to the nearest shelter, adopt two dozen cats and then live my life cleaning up hair balls and watching Wheel of Fortune. That seemed like a happy life to me.
Nina’s mother is a hoot too – you can easily see where Nina gets it from and the interaction between them is hilarious.
“I’m in the mood to concoct something,” Mom answered and my entire body got tense.
“Mom –” I started and Steve was with me for he said in a low, warning tone, “Nellie, not sure that’s a good idea.”
“My concoctions are the best,” Mom declared in Steve’s direction.
“Your concoctions are hit and miss. Mostly miss,” I told her. Mom whirled on me, aghast.
“You loved my blueberry, rhubarb soufflé.”
“Mom, I lied. It tasted a lot like vomit.”
Max’s body started shaking against mine but I was forced to ignore it when Mom emitted an outraged gasp.
“It did not taste like vomit!”
Like many Ashley heroes (at least in my experience so far) Max is fond of the one word sentence, usually consisting of “Babe”. I appreciated Nina pointing out to Max that this is not a statement full of clarity of meaning.
“Babe,” he replied, grinning then said no more.
Still being helpful, I explained, “I know you think that word speaks volumes but, I have to tell you, it actually doesn’t.”
Max gives good apology. He has moments of being a dick but, after he calms down, he can and does recognise and take responsibility for his dickishness – even about such a touchy subject as money. This is how an apology is done. No excuses, no “mansplaining”. Heroes, please note.
“You were right, honey.”
With my history with men, most specifically Niles who never listened to me, I found I was unable to process his words.
“Sorry?”
His fingers slid out of my hair and his hand went down, also under the shirt, and both of his hands were now traveling soothingly along my back.
“You were right. I was wrong.”
My mouth dropped open.
Did he just say that? Did Macho Mountain Man Max straight out admit he was wrong?
When Max isn’t wrong however, he keeps going. And Nina and Max argue. A lot. it’s part of the fun of their relationship.
“Explain somethin’ to me, babe, why is it you always wanna stop talking when I’m winnin’ the fuckin’ argument?”
I decided to be honest. “Because you’re more annoying when you’re right than you are just normally.”
While in real life that kind of bickering would make my head explode and then keep me rocking in the corner (my husband and I are very sympatico and our home is very peaceful, which I LOVE), it is fun to read about relationships like this in fiction. And, with an example such as this one, I can (sort of) see the attraction.
Max’s hassled eyes went over my head and I knew he was looking at Norm when he stated, “She’s up five minutes and we’re fightin’. Our first date, she fought about how Germans invented beer.”
“I did not!” I cried.
Max’s eyes came to me. “Babe, you did.”
I turned again in his arm, looked at Gladys and announced, “He has the memory of an elephant which you would think is good for, say, anniversaries and birthdays and such, but day to day?” I shook my head and concluded, “It’s very, very bad.”
The conversational style of the narrative, and its humour, is continued even in the sex scenes (which are hot and sometimes in a visceral way – Max isn’t much of a dirty talker but he’s not afraid to ask for what he wants and his language is typically direct and blunt). And Nina’s thoughts are what I think many women may think in such circumstances.
Then he somehow maneuvered me so I was straddling his face but was facing his hips.
“Wrap your mouth back around me, Duchess,” he growled from between my legs before I had time to come to terms with my position which under normal circumstances this early in a sexual relationship might be a little daunting. But I felt the vibration of his words between my legs and I liked it a lot. Enough to forget to feel daunted.
Nina has had bad luck in the romance (or men in general actually) department and has some self esteem issues that hold her back. Max is unlike anyone she’s ever met, but she is threatened by his first wife, who various townsfolk tell her he deeply loved. For those readers who long for a second chance at love story which does not demonise the first wife in order to make the second one look good, this is a very good example. The resolution was partly Nina settling into her place with Max and realising she belonged there, partly Max explaining some things and partly was left unaired (in my opinion – mainly in that Nina didn’t push for an answer to “do you love me more?” type questions) but the long and short of it was that Max loved Anna but she died. He’s a different person now and Nina is the one he wants to be with. And it takes a while, but in the end, Nina believes him.
The suspense part of the story was the weakest, with the plot being convoluted and improbable. But, the romance was plenty satisfying for me.
