Review - Flirting With Disaster

Flirting With Disaster
By Victoria Dahl

Book 2 in the Jackson: Girls Night Out series. This series has GROWN UPS. I'm not even kidding, they're not even people who claim grown up ages but act like teen-20's, these are actually grownups. And I'll just devour romances with adults. The first in the series was a novella and really sucked me into the series. Who doesn't adore a fireman and a librarian? The second wasn't quite as good for me on the romance front, BUT it's got another form of addiction for me: females who are actually friends. Can you sense my giddiness?

Isabelle is a mess. A 36 year old, highly distractable artist. But she's grown into herself as a person and far away from the sheltered 22 year old she was forced to leave behind. Unfortunately, even when you leave your past behind, the secrets go with you. Tom's a Federal Marshall on a local case when he butts heads with Isabelle. There's teasing, and banter between the two of them, and equally as important, between Isabelle and her friends. Lauren from Fanning the Flames and Sophie from Looking for Trouble are both reprised. And we've added Veronica (whose story is up next) and Jill, who might be my favorite character yet. I am going to be slightly devastated if we don't get Jill's story. They're not just sequel bait, they're people I'd be thrilled to go on a girls night out with. There's also some of the most realistic and sexiest scenes I've read in a long time. Tom and Isabelle just work, in a carnal sense, and Dahl's writing of their intimate scenes was masterful.

Frankly, the relationships and the sex were enough to make me forgive some pacing issues, the fact that normally I hate stories where the main conflict is that people just aren't communicating (in this case it mostly did make sense), and a few plot holes. It's kind of like Nora Roberts' Witnesses, just lighter, and with more relationships, fun, and raunch.

Plus, we've got Fanning the Flames at the end of it. So if you've not picked this series up yet, just know, you don't have to pick up the first novella, it's right here.

4 stars