"Wish You Were Here"

by Phillipa Ashley, AF, 2011, 287p, rating=4

Book won from Mary @BookHounds

"Beth Allen has moved on ...  It's been eight years since she and Jack Thornfield met on an exotic holiday and sparked up a seriously promising romance.  But then he disappeared without a trace, and Beth's life got dreadfully busy, demanding, and altogether complicated.  Then Jack and Beth run into each other again ... while she's applying for an exciting new job in London --at his company.  For necessity's sake, but against her better judgment, she takes the job, and from that moment on, complicated doesn't even begin to describe it."  (book cover)

It was the last third of the book that rocked for me!  I was swept away with the love story.  The sensual tension between Beth and Jack was intense.  I found myself characterizing Jack as debonair.  Heck, I'd take him back!!  That's how good the teasing was presented.  I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the "will they get back together" scenario played out as foreplay.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this fits the erotic genre.  Not at all.  Merely, a chick lit that made me want to cheer for the couple's success.  I caught myself in La-La Land imagining Prince Charming in the midst.

In between the tension was funny stuff that made the read fun as well.  Also, the supporting characters were intriguing as well and helped the mystique.  My only memorable qualm was the 2 or 3 swear words towards the end.  I understand that people use it but I read it at the wrong moment.  I'm trying to get out of a spiritual struggle and so seeing those words hurt my eyes and felt an immediate heartbreak because I was so enjoying the ending.  Really just the timing because I liked Push by Sapphire and every other word there were swear words ... though I'm not saying that I like seeing those words, I actually rather not, ... it was context and time there as well.

An overall lovely chick lit and nice beach read ... that's if you don't have three little kids to worry about getting tossed in the sea!  I know, melodramatic but we were at the beach a couple of weeks ago and I thought that it was the perfect place to read.  But come to find out that I needed both eyes on the little boogers!