I love a good old romance story. A hot guy and a pretty girl met under weird circumstances and we get to watch and read through all of the gushy romance and good stuff. I know, it is so not what you would expect of me, but I guess I am a die hard romantic deep down. In a lot of ways romance novels are lighthearted, quick and easy reads that I can grab and relax with after a long day and feel good at the end. I also think it is because of how my husband and I met. Here is a quick run down.

In my job I worked for a huge grocery distributor that was in another area of the state. My hubby worked for them as a driver. I had a small warehouse where I would store goods and service our customers for outages and such. Hubby was assigned to deliver my warehouse and it was added to his route. The first time I met him was the first day I was added to his load. He was a total jerk and I told him so. He proceeded to call his boss and try and have me removed, but I told him I would see him next week… and so I did. I went home and told my girlfriend I met the man I was going to marry. What I didn’t know is that this man called his mom and told her he met the woman he was going to marry! LOL On our second date he asked me to marry him! But I stood firm and told him I need a ring first! LOL We were married in 5 months. Awww

This book I am reviewing has some spots about secrets that a man and a woman can have that can really hinder your romance. I am not going to tell you that my whirlwind marriage is without ups and downs. I had plenty of secrets and it was hard to let them all be known. One secret that had to come out, and quickly, was that my best friend was a guy and I had lived with him for many years. My hubby to be (at the time) was so jealous! It was terrible. It finally came to a head one day when I told my hubby not to make me choose one or the other. He would have to trust me and believe in me. It is a hard lesson to learn for a lot of people.

Secrets and trust has a lot to do with this new novel:

Welcome to the Booby Trap By Ann Walker

Romance novel sheds light on stereotyping the modern woman

Washington, D.C. – Welcome to the Booby Trap, a seedy bar in Everett, Mass. where waitresses’ skirts are high, necklines are low, and customers show up for the eye candy.

This is the setting for Anne Browning Walker’s provocative novel, The Booby Trap (Pixel Entertainment, September 2012) in which Harvard Ph.D. candidate Bambi Benson finds the waitresses prime research for her degree in women’s studies, and embarks on a mission to go undercover and completely immerse herself in their world. All goes well until handsome local celebrity Trip Whitley enters the scene.

Hoping to ruffle the feathers of his well-connected family by dating someone ‘beneath’ him, Trip suggests that Bambi take on the role of his girlfriend, and receive compensation for her efforts. This fits in perfectly with the vision Bambi has for her dissertation: Trip will realize the error of his ways after she reveals her true identity, and teach him not to judge base on appearances.

Sounds like a great plan, but it’s about to be foiled: Bambi might actually be falling for Trip.

A fun, absorbing read, The Booby Trap was written with a particular audience in mind: Walker’s closest friends.

“I wanted my heroine to reflect the many smart, savvy, thoughtful, and driven women in my life,” Walker says. “Bambi is a modern-day heroine who values ambition and success in her own career, and also makes time for love.”

My Thoughts:
The feminist in me loves the preface of this book. A Ph.D. student goes undercover in a bar wearing provocative clothing and high heels that break her feet every night to do her research. In comes that hot guy who is a jerk… I know that story… and yet they find something mutually beneficial in the form of a contract. He has his reasons for hiding specific information and she has her reasons for hiding information. You follow them through their trust issues and secrets and hope for a good outcome.

I like how the author develops the story and throws in some twists and turns that you don’t really expect. The book is fresh and fun and an easy read for a nice evening or weekend. Great for curling up with and getting your romance fix! It is due out in September, so definitely one to put on your reading list!

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.