Unbuttoned

Lucas remembers the Carly as his best friend's little sister, but she's almost someone completely different now. He knows where she came from, who her parents were, and that's never bothered him. In fact, his home life was even worse, which is why he practically grew up in Carly's house when they were all kids together. But now when he sees her, she acts like a shrew, like he's the last person in the world she wants to see, and he figures that can only mean two things. Either she truly can't stand him, or she feels a lot more for him than he wants to admit. In many ways, Carly is stuck in the past, while Lucas is just trying to move forward with his life. But he soon realizes that the frosty looks Carly gives him have some heat behind them, and he can't help but push her buttons. While they have undeniable chemistry, though, getting Carly to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and start worrying about what she wants for herself is the real challenge. And it certainly doesn't help that she watched him go through a string of girlfriends when they were younger. In her mind, he might be just as bad as her father. While Lucas didn't have a grand old childhood, it seems that Carly has suffered more from hers. Watching her begin to give in, and seeing how genuine Lucas was about his feelings for her, is the stuff of great romance. The plot's pretty simple — two people trying to deny their attraction and growing feelings for one another — but the story itself is lots of fun. Equal parts funny, hot, sad, and romantic, Unbuttoned was a nice surprise and a great, quick romance read.