The sizzling romance

Book Review : Sweet Spot
Author: Susan Mallery
Publisher: Penguin
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
ISAN-13: 9780-263-88748-8
Price: Rs 299
Pages: 376

For someone who has a commitment phobia, being friends with benefits might seem a perfect idea. It might be a win-win deal with a close friend who provides companionship – and regular sex; in other words, all the benefits of a committed relationship but without any emotional ties. But it's not that simple when Nicole Keyes gets into a no-strings attached relationship. She is not ready for a serious involvement with Hawk but can't hold him at arm's length forever too.

The second book in Susan Mallery’s series about the Keyes sisters, Sweet Spot, picks up from where the first book, Sweet Talk, left us.

Nicole Keyes, the protagonist and eldest of the Keyes trio, is always the responsible sister. She is like a coconut, hard on the outside and soft from inside. She brought up her younger sister Jesse on her own when their mother decided to accompany Nicole’s twin sister Claire on her piano tours. After her father retired from his family bakery, Nicole took charge. But things get worse when she finds her husband Drew and sister Jesse in bed together.

Sweet Spot opens with a distraught and frustrated Nicole trying to pull herself together. She is recovering from a knee surgery; catches Raoul, the star quarterback of the local high school, stealing a box of doughnuts from her bakery. She is determined to press charges but instead of the cops enters Eric “Hawk” Hawkins, the boy’s football coach, who convinces a reluctant Nicole to let Raoul work off his theft at her bakery.

Hawk, a widower and former pro football player, is a charming man. Although Nicole is attracted to the football player, now a father to 17-year-old spoilt high school senior, Brittany, she does not trust him. She tries hard to never let Hawk get close enough to break her heart. At the same time, she is annoyed and tired of being an object of pity with everyone in her life assuming she is crumbling from the emotional devastation of walking in on her baby sister in bed with her husband. So as she gets to know Hawk more, she strikes a deal with him: she will be his sex kitten if he poses as her boyfriend in public.

Nicole wants to have a no-strings attached relationship with Hawk but eventually both of them fall in love with each other. However, Hawk has no plans of settling down and after her husband’s betrayal Nicole is wary of settling down with someone who thinks about his needs more.

Both Nicole and Hawk are established characters who work wonderfully as a couple. They argue a lot but also come together quickly. Despite her insecurities, Nicole always manages to stand up again. Although Hawk is occasionally immature, insensitive, and arrogant, you love him for being good to Nicole. He is protective, cares about her and makes sure that she is more than satisfied in bed.

Hawk and Nicole’s story is entwined with Brittany and Raoul’s too. Depicted too mature for an 18-year-old, Raoul is an orphan teenager who comes to live with Nicole and eventually becomes a part of Nicole’s responsibility. 

With Sweet Spot, Susan Mallery explores many aspects of family relationships and presents a heart-warming tale about how a woman at odds learns to deal with life and take it in stride. Nicole is a likeable character, you respect her for she is real in some ways; she knows she is bitchy and grumpy sometimes. She is funny and sarcastic too, but bossy and acidic towards people who hurt her. While Hawk seems too defensive and flawed at some points. He tries hard to maintain peace between two women in his life.    

One of the amusing moments in the book is when everyone around Nicole is pregnant. First it is Nicole’s fraternal twin Claire, then it is Jesse; Raoul’s stray dog Sheila also gets pregnant and on the top of all, Brittany also turns up pregnant (a false alarm though).

Susan Malley through her storytelling makes you laugh, cry, and also mad at the characters. Her characters are somewhat stubborn, with flaws and not perfect, making them human. They deal with serious issues but have the ability to find humour in it. However, she resorts to conventional method of using pregnancy to bring people together.

At some points the book is sweet and pleasing, with the plot and events in the book progressing swiftly but sometimes even the secondary characters take much time and space. The book also shows the present generation's idea of finding it easier to have a sexual relationship than an emotional one. The hot love scenes between Nicole and Hawk make their romance more sizzling. 

Sweet Spot is an enjoyable read if you are all for mushily romantic stuff with some realistic touches and some melodrama added to it. If you are looking forward to know more about Jesse, then check out her story in Sweet Trouble, due out in September.