Series: Love in the Suburbs #2
Published by Independently Published on January 2020
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 185
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
Jackson Schmidt is the biggest jerkity jerk ever. They should totally erect a statue to commemorate his jerkityness, jerkdom— Uggh! There are literally not enough words for ‘jerk’ to depict the man.
Unfortunately, Jackson is also the most gorgeous specimen of manhood I’ve ever laid eyes on. One look at him and I want to jump and climb him like a tree. But whenever he opens his mouth, his status as the biggest bastard on the planet is immediately reinstated. It’s impossible for the man to say anything remotely nice – at least not to me. To my best friend, though? To her, he’s Mr. Perfect Gentleman. Did I mention he’s carrying a torch for my engaged best friend?
My libido does not give one flying hoot Jackson is a dick who has a crush on my bestie. Nope. Not at all. No matter how much of a schmuck the man is – and trust me he takes schmuck to the next level – I continue to pant after him like a nerdy freshman crushing on the prom king. If I want to keep my sanity, I’m going to have to keep Jackson at arm’s length.
Sanity is totally overrated.
I’m all about representation in the books I read so I was pleasantly surprised to see that the heroine, Shelby, has a physical disability and wears a prosthetic. Everything about her hair to personality screams independent woman and I love that! The biggest thing I took away from this story is Haggerty’s sense of humor. It was woven into every scene, sprinkled with bits of self-deprecation and lack of confidence on Shelby’s part. I laughed the most when Grandma Nancy was on scene. Her antics remind me of the absolute zany nonsense that Grandma Mazur got up to in Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.
While I laughed throughout the book, I struggled to connect with the story. Shelby lacked significant character growth and bordered too close to the stereotypical gamer girl without any defining characteristic or personality quirk that would set her apart. The chapters lacked the typical flow I usually see in contemporary romance and instead felt like several short stories linked together. I wish there was a bit more build up for the relationship change from enemy-to-lovers as the current state was a bit whip-lash inducing for me. The chemistry was there in the intimate scenes but in between I wasn’t feeling it. I suspect a round of editing and fluffing with extra information would help with the flow and the characters feeling a bit stilted.
Ultimately, this may be a case of right book wrong reader. There is a plenty to love about At Arm’s Length, and fans of Molly O’Hare (Nothing but a Dare) will no doubt love Haggerty’s newest release. This is a fun, quick fluffy read that will have you chuckling and wishing you had a Grandma just like Nancy. Unfortunately, I just didn’t click with the characters or writing style in this one.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book graciously provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About D.E. Haggerty
D.E. Haggerty is actually just plain old Dena, but she thinks using initials makes her sound sophisticated and maybe even grown up. She was born and raised in the U.S. but considers herself a Dutchie and not only because it sounds way cooler. After a stint in the U.S. Army, she escaped the US to join her husband in Holland. She fled Holland over ten years ago when she couldn’t stand the idea of being a lawyer for one single second more. Turns out Bed & Breakfast owner in Germany didn’t do it for her either. When the hubby got a job in Istanbul, she jumped ship and decided to give this whole writer thing a go. She’s now back in Holland, which she considers home. Sorry, Mom.
