Hooked

by Kate Davies

Madison McIntyre loves the beach – the sun, the sand, a frosty drink by her side. But a beach with rainstorms, rocky ground, and the smell of fish? Not her first choice for an extended stay – especially when it’s under orders from her obnoxious boss. She has one month to prepare a resort plan the notoriously suspicious town will accept, or she’ll be out of a job. So she’s gone incognito in the hopes of succeeding where her coworkers have failed. What could go wrong?

Dylan Edwards loves living in Westport. He loves his charter fishing business, his little daughter, and the coastal town he calls home. He has no patience for big city snobs like the fish-out-of-water currently vacationing at his mom’s bed and breakfast. No matter how gorgeous she might be. Women like her always want to change things, just like his ex-wife. And he likes things just fine the way they are.

But Madison and Dylan can’t deny the sparks that fly whenever they’re together – as wild and untamed as the ocean itself. When the truth comes out, will their passion survive the storm?

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[The Book Worm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the plot of Hooked - actually, I loved the idea behind the plot, it had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I think the rest of the book fell a bit short of that potential. The characters are not very well developed, some situations are not entirely realistic and there are too many cliches to mention. Madison had lots of pre-conceived ideas, some of them not always consistent. Dylan was more or less Ok, but sometimes behaves more like a teenager than a full grown man. And the whole town hall / idiotic boss issue is sorted out so easily it's a wonder there was ever a problem to start with.
If you're looking for a quick, no strings attached, read with a happy ending, you may want to give it a try though.

[Ing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madison McIntyre has been sent to Westhaven a small coastal town in Washington for a month. The company Donovan Development which Madison has been working for has not had much luck in winning the small town over on their plan for a luxurious resort center. Madison's assignment is to research and create a proposal that would help win the town council member over to the idea of the resort. She is supposed to present this proposal to the city council meeting before the month is up. For Madison this is her chance to finally prove herself to the big wigs and get further with the company. Madison craves stability and she has played safe her whole life. Some would call her a workaholic. During her stay in Westhaven Madison stays at an Inn own by Ronnie Edwards. She doesn't tell the townspeople who she works for but that she is there for a sabbatical. Ronnie is a matchmaking momma. Her son Dylan Edwards who is a single divorce father is running the fishing charter boat in town. After checking Madison into a room at the Inn Ronnie decides to do some matchmaking between Dylan and Madison.

After their first interaction both Madison and Dylan have some pretty bad preconceived ideas of the other even though there were some sexual sparks flying. Soon though as they get to know one another they both realize that they might not be able to live without the other but lies, hang-ups from previous relationships, luxurious resort plan, and a slimy boss thrown into the mix could rock the boat for this budding romance between Madison and Dylan.

Just like the title of the book I was "Hooked" from the beginning until the very end. This is one of those fast, fun, and entertaining reads that had me smiling from the first page to the last. I love the city girl and small town boy storyline so this was a plus for me. Westhaven seems like my kind of small town and I found myself wanting to get on a plane and find this place so I could meet my own Dylan. The dialogue was witty and smart. I had many laugh out loud moments and I have to admit I had a little tear in my eye by the end of the book not because it was sad but because it was one of those feel good endings. Madison and Dylan came to life in this book and every page with them had me entertained. The secondary characters added to the storyline like Dylan's mother and daughter instead of hindering. The relationship was believable and I love how Kate slowly builds up the sexual part of the relationship. I rooted for Madison when she finally took a stand against her slime ball of a boss and I enjoyed seeing her slowly change from a workaholic little pushover to a strong woman capable of standing on her own two feet. Dylan was sexy, smart, and funny. Seeing him with his daughter had me sighing several times in the book. This book was a very satisfying read and I am looking forward to more books by this author.