NOTHING TO LOSE - Jamie Hill
Unexpected Love, Book 1
Total e-Bound
ISBN-13: 978-1-906328-93-1
February 2008
Erotic Contemporary Romance - Short Story

Rating: Total Burning

Perry, Illinois

Bailey Montgomery has come to Perry to bury her mother and settle her estate.  Though she loved her mother, Bailey felt as if they had drifted apart and her death is a shock she hasn’t yet dealt with.  Refusing the generosity of her mother’s friends, her solitary task of sorting her mother’s things is interrupted by a visit from neighbor Sarah Stevens, who drops off food and promises to have her brother fix a loose stair railing.  Early the next morning, Bailey is woken by the pounding of a hammer.  She rips open her front door to discover a gorgeous hunk of man fixing her railing; they clash right off the bat.

Doug Kenny thinks Bailey is the rudest woman he’s ever met, but that doesn’t stop him from having erotic thoughts about her.  It isn’t long after their rocky start that Bailey and Doug can’t keep their hands off each other.  Two people so different turn out to have a lot in common.  Their affair is hot and torrid, but Bailey’s not planning on sticking around and there’s a little matter of a boyfriend Bailey neglects to mention to Doug.

Bailey’s emotions are on edge due to her mother’s recent death and she believes that by staying aloof from her mother’s friends, she can quickly wrap things up and not deal with the past.  But nice people like Sarah and Doug think otherwise, and Bailey’s initial response to them is to be rude to them.  She finally realizes her rudeness is uncalled for and that people loved her mother and miss her.  Doug is definitely a man she’s attracted to and their coming together is fast and furious.  But Bailey left behind a boyfriend who she is beginning to realize she doesn’t really love.  Now to break off the old relationship before Doug finds out.

Doug is well aware that Bailey’s only here temporarily and having a month long fling probably isn’t the wisest thing to do, but she’s irresistible and fun to be with, even if she ticks him off at times.  Their romance is fiery and fun, but will it soon burn out?  Hovering in the background is Bailey’s boyfriend and readers can sense that he’ll play a part in the climactic end.  Will Bailey return to Chicago?  Will Doug have to find someone else to play handyman to?

NOTHING TO LOSE is rated as an erotic romance and, while it has sexy scenes, I would compare the heat level to a Harlequin Blaze.  Jamie Hill’s story is filled with emotional ups and downs as Doug and Bailey ride the rough path to happily ever after.  Bailey comes off first as self-centered, but Doug’s love helps her to discover why her mother loved Perry and why Bailey should stay.

Two lovers clash and sparks fly in this delightful tale of love.  Head on over and pick up NOTHING TO LOSE today.

Holly Tibbs