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A review by cdb393
Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox
4.0
I received an arc of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This book really worked for me because of how much I liked the characters and their development. Katie has come out of a bad marriage to her high school sweetheart and is finally ready to move on. She decides to do so with an affair with the pop star she and Sean are hired to guard, Judah.
Sean is back in Camelot to take care of his estranged mother’s estate. He’s had a crush on Katie since high school but never talks to her due to his stutter. He managed to overcome his stutter after high school but it comes back when he tries to talk to Katie. He realizes he can’t stand by and watch her go after Judah so he kisses her in front of Judah. Afterwards, he still refuses to talk to Katie, which naturally confuses and annoys her.
Katie can’t get Sean’s kiss out of her mind when she’s in Judah’s hotel room so she puts a stop to Judah’s advances. Judah doesn’t seem to mind. While I liked Judah, his storyline didn’t work quite as well for me as the development of the romance between Katie and Sean. He’s very secretive about why he’s hired the other two to protect him. I thought Judah’s secretiveness seemed rather forced and went on too long. Sean and Katie quit due to Judah’s lack of cooperation but Sean can’t quite stop himself from looking into Judah to see what could be scaring him. Meanwhile, Judah constantly calls Katie to try to get her back to work for him and they become friends during these calls.
When Sean comes to Katie with what he’s discovered about Judah he makes a decision to talk to her despite his stutter. I liked how this revelation led to Sean and Katie finally really getting to know one another. I also enjoyed how while Katie didn’t care about the stutter she was curious and made a couple of missteps when addressing the problem with Sean. Sean’s stutter never felt like a convenient plot device just to him more likeable or vulnerable like is so often the case. It’s an integral part of who he is but not the defining part.
After resolving the mystery with Judah, Sean is forced to confront his issues with his mother and deal with her estate. Katie is instrumental in helping him through this even though she knows Sean will leave her and go back to California. I felt this conflict about what will happen since Sean is determined to get back to California, where he feels like a successful businessman who’s overcome his speech problems instead of a tongue-tied schoolboy like he does in Camelot, was handled perfectly. The conflict never felt forced and none of the decisions the characters make seem inconsistent with their characterization earlier in the book. Katie has grown, learned what she wants and needs for herself and is not willing to blindly follow someone else’s plans and goals so she refuses to go to California with him. I think the final resolution of their conflict was perfect.
I think this book works so well because of how great of characters Katie and Sean are. They’re both flawed and dealing with major issues. Over the course of the book they both learn how to be better, happier people in their own right not just with one another with often isn’t the case in romances. The Judah storyline was interesting as well but for me it was more interesting as a catalyst for Sean and Katie’s relationship than for the actual things happening to Judah. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a sweet, fun read filled with interesting characters.
This book really worked for me because of how much I liked the characters and their development. Katie has come out of a bad marriage to her high school sweetheart and is finally ready to move on. She decides to do so with an affair with the pop star she and Sean are hired to guard, Judah.
Sean is back in Camelot to take care of his estranged mother’s estate. He’s had a crush on Katie since high school but never talks to her due to his stutter. He managed to overcome his stutter after high school but it comes back when he tries to talk to Katie. He realizes he can’t stand by and watch her go after Judah so he kisses her in front of Judah. Afterwards, he still refuses to talk to Katie, which naturally confuses and annoys her.
Katie can’t get Sean’s kiss out of her mind when she’s in Judah’s hotel room so she puts a stop to Judah’s advances. Judah doesn’t seem to mind. While I liked Judah, his storyline didn’t work quite as well for me as the development of the romance between Katie and Sean. He’s very secretive about why he’s hired the other two to protect him. I thought Judah’s secretiveness seemed rather forced and went on too long. Sean and Katie quit due to Judah’s lack of cooperation but Sean can’t quite stop himself from looking into Judah to see what could be scaring him. Meanwhile, Judah constantly calls Katie to try to get her back to work for him and they become friends during these calls.
When Sean comes to Katie with what he’s discovered about Judah he makes a decision to talk to her despite his stutter. I liked how this revelation led to Sean and Katie finally really getting to know one another. I also enjoyed how while Katie didn’t care about the stutter she was curious and made a couple of missteps when addressing the problem with Sean. Sean’s stutter never felt like a convenient plot device just to him more likeable or vulnerable like is so often the case. It’s an integral part of who he is but not the defining part.
After resolving the mystery with Judah, Sean is forced to confront his issues with his mother and deal with her estate. Katie is instrumental in helping him through this even though she knows Sean will leave her and go back to California. I felt this conflict about what will happen since Sean is determined to get back to California, where he feels like a successful businessman who’s overcome his speech problems instead of a tongue-tied schoolboy like he does in Camelot, was handled perfectly. The conflict never felt forced and none of the decisions the characters make seem inconsistent with their characterization earlier in the book. Katie has grown, learned what she wants and needs for herself and is not willing to blindly follow someone else’s plans and goals so she refuses to go to California with him. I think the final resolution of their conflict was perfect.
I think this book works so well because of how great of characters Katie and Sean are. They’re both flawed and dealing with major issues. Over the course of the book they both learn how to be better, happier people in their own right not just with one another with often isn’t the case in romances. The Judah storyline was interesting as well but for me it was more interesting as a catalyst for Sean and Katie’s relationship than for the actual things happening to Judah. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a sweet, fun read filled with interesting characters.