mrose21's review against another edition
4.0
Yaaay
I wish the ending was better wrapped up. Its a good ending. I loved it, but I just wanted him to show hes sticking up for himself in regards to his employer.
I wish the ending was better wrapped up. Its a good ending. I loved it, but I just wanted him to show hes sticking up for himself in regards to his employer.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
I love Sid! I have since she was introduced in the first of the Anchor Island series, and I am thrilled the second tells her story. One of the other characters describes Sid as a porn star body who is the boy next door inside. That is a pretty apt description. Sid is a mass of contradictions: a mechanic, curses like a sailor, tough as nails, yet hides a killer body under oversized clothes. And sexy lingerie, a taste for romance novels and girly decor. A challenge for sure. Lucas often thinks of her as a pocket vebus, a pixie spitfire. She is tiny only in stature.
Then there is Lucas, the fancy Richmond lawyer who ended up as the jilted fiancé in the first book in this series. Lucas is handsome, driven, and facing his own demons. Sid has had a crush on him since high school. Lucas only notices her after they are teamed up to work the Dempsey restaurant while Lucas' father recovers from a heart attack.
There are fireworks. Hot sex. Each challenging the other. And Lucas finally figures out what he truly wants, where he truly belongs, and how to get it.
Along the way, we all fall in love with a little fur ball named Drillbit. Well, of course.
Then there is Lucas, the fancy Richmond lawyer who ended up as the jilted fiancé in the first book in this series. Lucas is handsome, driven, and facing his own demons. Sid has had a crush on him since high school. Lucas only notices her after they are teamed up to work the Dempsey restaurant while Lucas' father recovers from a heart attack.
There are fireworks. Hot sex. Each challenging the other. And Lucas finally figures out what he truly wants, where he truly belongs, and how to get it.
Along the way, we all fall in love with a little fur ball named Drillbit. Well, of course.
weird_witch2's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
teasilly's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars!
Spoiler
Liked it a little better than Randy and Will's book because of Sid, but Sid's kickass character is toned down a lot when she's with Lucas, soooooo. And I feel like the more books you read in this series, the more formulaic things become. Predictable. Bleeegh. But good casual read, I suppose.setaian's review against another edition
5.0
Sid Navarro is Anchor Island's smart-mouthed boat mechanic. She has been in love with Lucas Dempsey since high school, but Lucas always had his sights set on bigger and better things and as soon as he finished school he left the island.
After his father suffers a heart attack, Lucas returns to the island to look after the family business. He's thrown together with Sid and sparks immediately fly, but the women in his world are quiet, reserved...pastels, and Sid is anything but. She's brash and in your face, she could swear a sailor under the table.
Despite her not being his usual type, Lucas is attracted to Sid. But he needs to return to the mainland by the end of the summer so the best he can offer her is a summer fling. What he doesn't know is that beneath her hard shell is a vulnerable young woman and when he leaves, he will break her heart.
It's difficult to know what to say about Up to the Challenge. Whatever I say, it just won't be enough. If I take the very best books by Jill Shalvis and Robyn Carr, wave my magic wand and somehow make them 20% better, then we are probably getting close to how good this is. She really is that good. Solid gold 5 Stars!
Many thanks to Montlake Romance and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC
After his father suffers a heart attack, Lucas returns to the island to look after the family business. He's thrown together with Sid and sparks immediately fly, but the women in his world are quiet, reserved...pastels, and Sid is anything but. She's brash and in your face, she could swear a sailor under the table.
Despite her not being his usual type, Lucas is attracted to Sid. But he needs to return to the mainland by the end of the summer so the best he can offer her is a summer fling. What he doesn't know is that beneath her hard shell is a vulnerable young woman and when he leaves, he will break her heart.
It's difficult to know what to say about Up to the Challenge. Whatever I say, it just won't be enough. If I take the very best books by Jill Shalvis and Robyn Carr, wave my magic wand and somehow make them 20% better, then we are probably getting close to how good this is. She really is that good. Solid gold 5 Stars!
Many thanks to Montlake Romance and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
I love Sid! I have since she was introduced in the first of the Anchor Island series, and I am thrilled the second tells her story. One of the other characters describes Sid as a porn star body who is the boy next door inside. That is a pretty apt description. Sid is a mass of contradictions: a mechanic, curses like a sailor, tough as nails, yet hides a killer body under oversized clothes. And sexy lingerie, a taste for romance novels and girly decor. A challenge for sure. Lucas often thinks of her as a pocket vebus, a pixie spitfire. She is tiny only in stature.
Then there is Lucas, the fancy Richmond lawyer who ended up as the jilted fiancé in the first book in this series. Lucas is handsome, driven, and facing his own demons. Sid has had a crush on him since high school. Lucas only notices her after they are teamed up to work the Dempsey restaurant while Lucas' father recovers from a heart attack.
There are fireworks. Hot sex. Each challenging the other. And Lucas finally figures out what he truly wants, where he truly belongs, and how to get it.
Along the way, we all fall in love with a little fur ball named Drillbit. Well, of course.
Then there is Lucas, the fancy Richmond lawyer who ended up as the jilted fiancé in the first book in this series. Lucas is handsome, driven, and facing his own demons. Sid has had a crush on him since high school. Lucas only notices her after they are teamed up to work the Dempsey restaurant while Lucas' father recovers from a heart attack.
There are fireworks. Hot sex. Each challenging the other. And Lucas finally figures out what he truly wants, where he truly belongs, and how to get it.
Along the way, we all fall in love with a little fur ball named Drillbit. Well, of course.
worldsokayeststepmom's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erinnaissance's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at Chapter 6. This is my first time listening to a Terri Osburn book. The premise sounded good and I was looking forward to having an author new to me to enjoy but I just couldn’t stand Sid. Tomboys are different from foul mouthed, vulgar, no-class jerks aka Sid. She was rude to Lucas from the get go and her comments did nothing to endear herself to me before I gave up on the story altogether. In that bizarre tip competition, Sid removed her baggy shirt to objectify herself for bigger tips and the reading audience is supposed to believe that Sid in a tank top was so dazzling that nearly everyone in the restaurant became enchanted in a fairy tale sort of way. Of course, I’ve never been to Hooters. Maybe that’s exactly what happens? That was a weird and kind of disturbing scene. Lucas seems attracted to her looks after her smile and then body get on his radar but what about her appeals other than that? Stories that hinge on people being attracted to one another based on their outer package are not for me. Sid may have had a long time crush on Lucas but if we are supposed to think it’s for any reason other than looks, those reasons were too subtle.
allingoodtime's review against another edition
4.0
Another wonderful read. I was already a fan of Sid from the first book, this story lets the reader see her more feminine side and it's great! Even though in the first book Terri Osburn did her best to make sure the reader didn't think of Lucas as a "bad guy", I still wasn't sure if I'd like him. That power-driven kind of person is not one I can usually tolerate. Ms. Osburn did a great job getting me over my fears, Lucas ended up being a dream.
When Lucas first starts to notice Sid as a woman I will admit to being a little put off by the circumstances. I wanted to like him but knew I wouldn't be able to do that if he only fell for Sid's looks. Almost right away the author let the reader know that Lucas was intrigued by the challenge Sid presented to him. So he didn't take notice until he saw what was under her baggy clothes, that's okay. Some guys need to be hit over the head to see things. As long as in the long run the right reasons were present.
Really my only complaint has to do with something an editor should have caught. My sister used to get annoyed with the way I corrected her grammar when we were teenagers. I've learned to curb that urge as I got older and realized A) it's rude and B) there are many grammar rules I don't follow either. That being said, bad grammar still makes my skin crawl...especially when it's incorrect word usage. There are two times in this book that the phrase "grant it" was used where "granted" should have been used. I was somewhat disappointed that Ms. Osburn did this but quickly came to the conclusion that it's not really her fault. It's her editors responsibility to catch these things. And there is always the possibility that she didn't use that phrase and it was type-set incorrectly. Either way, it just irked me a bit.
All in all, another wonderful book that has be eager to read Will's story next.
When Lucas first starts to notice Sid as a woman I will admit to being a little put off by the circumstances. I wanted to like him but knew I wouldn't be able to do that if he only fell for Sid's looks. Almost right away the author let the reader know that Lucas was intrigued by the challenge Sid presented to him. So he didn't take notice until he saw what was under her baggy clothes, that's okay. Some guys need to be hit over the head to see things. As long as in the long run the right reasons were present.
Really my only complaint has to do with something an editor should have caught. My sister used to get annoyed with the way I corrected her grammar when we were teenagers. I've learned to curb that urge as I got older and realized A) it's rude and B) there are many grammar rules I don't follow either. That being said, bad grammar still makes my skin crawl...especially when it's incorrect word usage. There are two times in this book that the phrase "grant it" was used where "granted" should have been used. I was somewhat disappointed that Ms. Osburn did this but quickly came to the conclusion that it's not really her fault. It's her editors responsibility to catch these things. And there is always the possibility that she didn't use that phrase and it was type-set incorrectly. Either way, it just irked me a bit.
All in all, another wonderful book that has be eager to read Will's story next.
krisjayne's review against another edition
4.0
Another fun book in the series from Terri Osburn. Her characters keep you coming back to find out what happens to them next.