From the blurb:

Monica Mann has made it her life’s work to save lives. After an earthquake and tsunami hit the shores of Jamaica, she volunteers her trauma skills with Borderless Nurses. Calculating and methodical, Monica creates order out of whatever chaos she finds.

Until she finds the perpetually barefoot, impossibly masculine Trent Fairchild. No one can pin him down. No, really. He’s a pilot and manages a small fleet of choppers on his adopted island home. Hopelessly drawn to one another, they manage to slip away from the wreckage to get a little closer. And they get a lot closer than expected when aftershocks from the earthquake trap them in their own life-or-death scenario. Paradise has brought them together. Now will it tear them apart?

I chose this book to read for four reasons:

1. I love the cover. Dreamy and a little whimsical.

2. The author is a former ER nurse, so I knew the content would be well grounded.

3. I confess I rather enjoy a romance that touch of high drama.

4. I was most moved by the movie The Impossible, which tells the story of a family after the devastating 2004 tsunami, and the blurb at once called that film to mind.

I found the book to be quite a gripping read, and the elements of the story focused on the aftermath of the tsunami are intriguing and well written. It’s certainly a compelling backdrop in which Monica and Trent’s relationship forms, and I love the beauty of the island, which is wonderfully conveyed by the author:

Small white-capped foam sat atop bright blue water that turned turquoise green and then dark blue. The sand in the cover was pristine white with some debris left over from the small wave that hit this shore. But it wasn’t enough to take away from the beauty.

Monica and Trent are strong, three-dimensional characters that it is easy to root for – especially Trent, whom I found to be a most attractive male lead.

I like the storyline, and the confusion near the end that comes in to threaten their future together, and I love the ending of the book.

It’s a book to pick up for a quick, riveting read with lots of action and likeable characters, but don’t expect a good deal of high emotion or poignancy, or the kind of whimsical romance that I think the cover suggests. Also, this is a book for readers who like very modern, edgy, sassy romance (think swear words).

Overall, an easy pick for drama and realism, and a gritty love story with characters you can’t help but engage with.

Not Quite Enoughis available now from Amazon; click on the book cover below to visit the store.