Review: Dare to Love Again by Julie Lessman

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

She's a sassy socialite burned by love. He's a jaded cop burned by the upper class. When sparks fly...will love catch fire again?

Spunky Allison McClare is determined to be a fearless, independent woman. But when she takes a notion to explore the wild Barbary Coast, she quickly discovers she's no match for the unsavory characters that haunt the dark streets.

Detective Nick Barone would rather do almost anything than teach this petite socialite self-defense, but it seems he has little choice. Sparks fly every time the two meet until a grudging friendship develops into something deeper. But is he just a fraud like all the rest of the men Allison's cared for? Or is he the one who will let her dare to love again?

My Review

I have mixed feelings about Julie Lessman's books so far. I enjoyed the plot of Dare to Love Again, but the characters are rather dramatic in their actions and feelings with larger-than-life personalities. While I wouldn't say Allison is spoiled, as a wealthy socialite she behaves in an entitled and naive manner. Her eyes become opened as she makes reckless decisions, and fortunately the hero Nick is there to save her bacon. I was surprised that the idea of teaching jiu jitsu as a self-defense strategy existed in the early 1900's and it was a fun part of the novel as Nick enables Allison to protect herself. The characters are full of puns and quips throughout the book and seem to find themselves quite clever.

(Thank you to Revell Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)