I'm always looking for free books for my Kindle because I read so much and the budget can only take so much abuse! I can say that I've been pretty lucky in finding some great authors this way, and I'm pleased to add Christie Craig to this list. Shut Up and Kiss Me in one of those great romances where the characters feel like people you know in a town that actually exists and you'd like to visit. But the story also feels fresh and new, and I'm already anxious to read more about Precious, Texas and its citizens.
There's little that is glamorous in this story: there are multi-generational scuffles and misunderstandings, the struggle to preserve culture in the face of modernity, people trying to save their small town, and the everyday struggles of imperfect people finding each other and falling in love. Although the Big Bad that compels the heroine to stay in Precious, Texas is perhaps a bit convenient and unexciting, the rest of the book feels original and interesting, and I had a difficult time putting it down. Rest assured, the Big Bad is destructive, and definitely impacts the direction of the story, but there are points in the narrative where it just doesn't seem all that important. This is pretty much the most serious complaint I have about the book as a whole: The extent of the damage seems random and extreme given what the threat actually turns out to be. The dialogue was fun, though, and even the bits that I thought would induce eye-rolling turned out to be necessary human moments.
The rich cast of secondary characters may seem unwieldy at times, but they helped to establish the community, as well as set up some of the future installments in this series. Although some readers have reported they didn't like the number of characters, I found that it helped me to 'see' the town, and understand why the characters choose to remain there. The town is also a character in itself, and I really liked the local color generously sprinkled through the story. All in all, it was a fun and light romantic read, perfect for curling up with.