erica
I like stuff with romantic elements and angst, usually YA, fantasy, paranormal/urban fantasy or variations thereof. Usually wrinkles nose at sci-fi due to unlikely tech. Straight girl who likes boys that like boys!
Currently reading
It's one of those "the previous one was better..."-books
In the first instalment of New York Leopards, Rush Me, Allison Parr wrote a great opinionated, snarky, flawed and rounded heroine, who met her match in a star quarterback. Part of what I really, really liked about Rush Me was the dialogue and banter, but I also loved all the other characters in the book, that made it come alive for me. And for a clueless European girl that never watch any kind of sport, I found myself remarkably fond of all those NY Leopard players.
Running Back has a strong and independent heroine too, post-grad archaeology student Natalie. She isn't as prickly as Rachael in the first book, but she's a bit fucked up from her upbringing, and she tends to hold herself a bit apart from the world. She does learn a lot more about who she is throughout the book, and Mike O'Connor does pull her out of her shell, but I was somehow not feeling it, the whole romance thing. I wish there had been more... spark 'n snark between her and Mike, and while there was tension, it still fell a bit flat for me. Nat & Mike are not Rachael & Ryan, and that is good, but I wish they weren't quite as taciturn.
As most of the story takes place at a little village in Ireland, there were no interactions with the rest of the Leopards, except a small part set in Paris. I missed them, actually, that, and the... drive the previous story got from being set in New York and not in rural Ireland.
I kept on thinking that the book could have been more. Also, don't get me started on how you can apparently see the Eiffel Tower from every damn street corner in Paris.