I finished reading... A Man in a Million

A Man in a Million by Jessica Bird

As far as bad boy Spike Moriarty was concerned, Madeline Maguire defined female perfection. When they'd met, she'd walked up as if she wasn't the most gorgeous thing on the planet and asked to see his tattoos. He--a tough guy who'd make grown men run--had just about passed out. But their connection was definitely one-way…it had to be. Because he could never be the man in a million she was looking for, not with the things he'd done and seen. So for as long as she'd let him, he'd give her whatever she wanted. He'd worry about her walking away when it happened.

Still wanting light reads, I took up the same romance-reading friend's recommendation of this Jessica Bird book, her previous publication to The Billionaire Next Door, which I read a few days earlier and really enjoyed.

While it was a fun read, I didn't like it as much as The Billionaire Next Door and that was largely due to the continual miscommunication between the hero and the heroine.

As my friend did, I loved Spike. I mean he's tall, buff, a little dangerous but with a beautiful heart underneath, sexy tattoos and he rides a Harley. Maybe not my ideal man in real life, but in a book he's fantastic. I found Madeline to be less inspiring, but still a decent character and the story was well told.

My problem was that the book just moved from one assumption and misunderstanding to another. It was one of those cases where if the characters just talked to each other, a lot of pain and heartbreak would be avoided. Of course, the book would be about 10 pages long as well.

Otherwise, I liked it. There were so lovely moments and Bird writes in a way that makes it easily to visualise what is happening (and I'm not really a visual reader). I could imagine Spike sitting on the veranda staring at the mountains as his sister came to join him, or Mad deliberately provoking her half brother by sitting at the table with one leg tucked under her.

The resolution was good and I'm sure they'll be happy together - they just need to remember to talk to each other and not keep secrets.

A Man in a Million
Jessica Bird
6/10