Surprisingly (Playing for Hearts #5)

Bruce Coldwell is an award-winning bass fisherman and best friends with triathlete Crista Johnson. When Bruce comes to visit Crista in between tournaments, he decides he wants Crista to hook him up with her beautiful next-door neighbor. Love and family have not concerned Crista until she realizes she is jealous of her crazy neighbor hanging out with her best friend. Instead of falling head over heels for the supermodel, Bruce realizes that what he has been searching for has been right under his nose the whole time.

Bruce is your typical male character: he thinks all he needs is his tournaments and a beautiful lady to spend his evenings with. Crista, on the other hand, does not think she needs anything more than what she has in front of her. Ms. Kahn’s characters are real and fascinating but frustrating as well. Bruce and Crista are so blind to each other that it makes the reader want to tell them to wake up and smell the coffee. “Surprisingly” becomes not so surprising when Bruce and Crista finally open their eyes and really take a look at each other. This is a sweet story about friendship, love, and heartache. The characters are fun, flirty, and sexy. Almost anyone can attest to being too little too late at some point in their lives. To her credit Ms. Kahn does not leave the reader hanging in limbo; she wraps up this four star with a predictable, but sweet ending.  

Mary-Nancy Smith