Just for Kicks

The first book I read by this author was very entertaining. This and the other book in this series were extremely disappointing. Poor characterization, poor plot and very predictable. Straight to the donation bin!

I loved this one. A fast read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. With JFK , Andersen continues the Showgirl series that she started with Skintight. For me, the second in the series outshines the original- not that I didn't like Skintight too! At first, showgirl with a heart of gold Carly can't stand her uptight neighbor Wolfgang Jones. Opposites in many ways they are like fire and water. But chemistry can be a fickle thing sometimes and they quickly find themselves making out in her condo foyer with all her babies(her beloved pets)running for cover! (Carly, the heroine, has a soft spot for pets, and they have their time in the story just like many of the side characters!) I loved both Wolf and Carly- he's the kind of romance book hero I adore. Stoic, strong, passionate, sexy, helpless with his attraction to his woman, with a sense of humor that pops up at just the right time. Carly is just as likable. She comes off as a ditz, especially around Wolf, but she is of course way more intelligent then he guesses. There is, of course, a psycho stalker to add the outside conflict, and though I'm getting tired of that old schtick, it didn't bother me so much because the nutball wasn't so prominent. The scene where Carly finally gets confronted by her stalker is more of a tool to reveal more of Carly and Wolf's true selves- and more about their relationship- then it is about the stalkage. To me she got away fairly easy BUT, as I said before, the scene really wasn't about the psycho- it was all about Carly and Wolf. All through the book we find again the characters first revealed in Skintight, which was fun naturally, and Wolf's nephew Nicklaus gets added to the mix, who also helped to reveal to the reader what all was going on in the heroes head. At 16, the nephew wasn't as annoying as some kids can be in a romance book, but I did feel he was bit too unbelievable in his actions. I felt like Wolf got off a little too easily considering the kids past ... but, considering the fast pace of the book, it worked. In the end, Carly and Wolf find out that, on the inside, they are not as unalike as they first thought and the story of discovery ends up to be quite entertaining!

This was a fun story! The characters are funny, witty, and strong. I loved it!

Just For Kicks by Susan Andersen is an exceptional book. Its sassy, funny, emotional and sexy as it can get. Carly Jacobsen, Las Vegas showgirl has been butting heads with the security expert Wolfgang Jones at work for months. Doesn't help matters that he is her next-door neighbor and has no sense of humor. But just one kiss has Carly rethinking her feelings for Mr. Cool As Ice. Wolfgang Jones is a man with a plan. He knows where he wants to go and how he is going to get there. His orderly world is thrown for a loop when his teenage nephew comes to live with him. Factor in his growing attraction to his neighbor and all bets are off. Carly and Wolf begin a short-term affair since Wolf has plans to move on to another town. But when Carly attracts a stalker both feelings begin to change. Just For Kicks was an absolute treat. Wolf and Carly burn up the pages whether they are in a bed or not. The emotions are so deep and true and really moved me. I have re-read this book several times already. It's a must read.

Vegas showgirl Carly is having trouble getting her pup Rufus to behave and her sexy neighbor's patience has just about run out. To add insult to injury, neighbor Wolfgang Jones is second in command in security at the casino she works for, forcing them to coexist in a truce-like atmosphere. Wolf's future plans don't include getting involved with a sexy showgirl with legs up to here, but when his nephew Nik is suddenly thrust on his doorstep, and strikes up a friendship with Carly and her motley crew of pets, Wolf realizes there's more to her than what meets the eye. With Wolf and the rest of the friends and neighbors, Nik has finally found what he has missed most of his life - a sense of family. Nik knows that the only way to put an end to the nomadic existence he's been forced to contend with thanks to his flighty mother is to get Uncle Wolf to settle down, and what better candidate than Carly. As he schemes to get the two together, they quickly become willing pawns and enter into a sex for convenience relationship. Of course, despite their efforts, they both fall for each other, and everyone (but the two of them) seems to know how they feel about each. Meanwhile, Nik himself is falling for a cheerleader, giving further reason to stay put in Sin City. But the job Wolf has worked his while life for is suddenly on the table. In a suspenseful twist that harkens back to Andersen's romantic suspense roots, Carly starts receiving anonymous gifts that suddenly turn threatening. Wolf enlists her as bait to set a trap to catch her would-be paramour. Knowing that their no-strings affair is about to end, Carly tries to distance herself from him, but is a boring corporate job in middle America what he really wants? "Just for Kicks," a follow up to "Skintight," includes many of the original characters in the condo complex who add plenty of comic relief, though Carly's constant use of the term "toots" is grating. Carly and Wolf really burn up the pages (chapter 15!!), while Nik is the heart and soul of the story.

Just for Kicks is a light summer romance that succeeds in being fun and funny. Our heroine, Carly, can't stand her animal-hating, driven, uptight neighbor who just happens to be second in charge of security in the same casino where she works. Wolfgang has no patience for the seemingly flaky, flighty showgirl and her overly loud cats and dogs. Although very attracted to the other, Carly and Wolf get a boost in the romance department from Wolf's matchmaking nephew, Nik. Nik has been moving from town to town his whole life and struggles with feelings of abandonment and acceptance until he moves in with Wolf. He attempts to set our hero and heroine up so that Wolf will have a reason to stay put rather than move away to his dream job. Carly and Wolf are fun characters with good chemistry and funny moments. I smiled, I laughed out loud, and I reread a couple of the steamy scenes. Overall, a fun and quick read.