Whirlwind

by Robin DeJarnett

Book Summary (from Goodreads)

Love at first sight is a myth to aspiring journalist Melissa Williams, but when she meets Jason McAlister at a friend’s wedding, a Cinderella-like fantasy turns her no-nonsense world upside down. She sees in his penetrating blue eyes not just an evening, but a lifetime together that includes much more than a glass slipper and a kiss.

Realizing she shared a few salacious emails with Jason months ago, a humiliated Melissa loses herself in the crowd, thankful he doesn’t know who she is. But he does know—and with a gentle touch and a steamy kiss, he soon picks up their flirtation right where it left off.

As midnight strikes, Melissa succumbs to Jason’s sexy pull, unaware that a woman’s body has been discovered in the wake of the party. When evidence points to Melissa as the killer’s next target, the lines between fantasy and reality blur. She goes into hiding, charmed by one mysterious man and hunted by another.

Cinderella lost a shoe—Melissa could lose both her handsome prince and her life.

Britney’s Book Review

I was lucky enough to win a copy of Robin DeJarnett’s Whirlwind through Goodreads and started reading it as soon as I got it in the mail. Robin was sweet enough to also send an adorable bookmark and signed my copy with a sweet note, as well.

I enjoy the random romance book but was really intrigued by the murder mystery that was intertwined in the story. And just from the synopsis, I felt like I could relate to Melissa (cynic on love but hopeless romantic). I ended up falling in love with Melissa and Jason and their relationship. Melissa is independent, realistic, and has a tough past. Jason is sexy, charming, and oh yeah sexy. As soon as they lay eyes on each other it’s love at first sight and I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes at the encounter, instead the hopeless romantic in me was swooning. I know, I know, it makes you want to gag but DeJarnett does a wonderful job in making the budding relationship between Melissa and Jason believable yet adorable.

I loved Melissa’s character because she seemed very real to me. She has goals and dreams and has self-doubts and doesn’t need a man to be whole. She was different from the typical heroine and I appreciated that. And Jason… well, I have a new literary crush added onto my list. He was just about perfect and you could argue that no one is perfect but I think he was perfect for Melissa and I wouldn’t say no to him.

The minor characters were fleshed out and I liked all of Melissa’s friends. And the slimeball villain gave me the creeps and I kept waiting for him to pop up out of nowhere like the creep he is.

It’s a great, fun read. It’s not YA but I would suggest it for readers who like romance and strong characters.