Hotshot by Julie Garwood

Picture from Goodreads

When he was fourteen, Finn McBain was a troublemaker. At least until the day he looked next door and saw six-year-old Peyton Lockhart falling into her parents pool. It was a during a party an no one else noticed. Finn saved her life and she's remembered him ever since. Through his high school years while he was winning three Olympic gold medals and all through his training days at the FBI. On the other hand, Peyton has finished school. And discovered that she didn't want to do anything with her Journalism major or English Lit minor; instsead, she wanted to cook. Much to the dismay of her mother (who is amazingly like Mrs. Bennet, just thinking that her daughters have to be married.) When she gets accepted to a prestigious cooking program and then gets a job for a magazine right after, the world is a bright place. Unfortunately, her boss is a lech and, because his wife is the owner's daughter, the heir-apparent to taking over the magazine. He ends up scaring her right out of town. Before she leaves though, Peyton gets the evidence to take him down and he's not happy. He sends one of his thugs after her and Finn notices the damage to he vehicle. When he first sees Peyton at his brother's wedding, Finn only notices that she's a beautiful woman. Peyton captures his lust immediately and his concern rather belatedly. But he is somewhat reassured that she'll be safe because her Uncle Len has given her and her two sisters the chance to own his seaside resort if they can turn it around in the next year. I love Garwood's writing. Since I started reading romances nearly two decades ago, I've read every one of her books. So why did this book not get a five? And why did I almost give it a three? Twice. Not once, but twice, a character had the "it's okay not to use condoms, I'm on birth control pills" conversation. While I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for a number of things in Romancelandia, teaching that STDs aren't a concern isn't one of them. Also, the thing that annoys me about Garwood is that her heroines are so... dang... young. I think Peyton is being set up to be this strong woman who takes her destiny in her own hands but I'm not really getting that vibe. It's more like, she does one strong thing and then lets Finn and everyone else take over. And, for god's sake

she's a virgin? Really? Who still has a hymen in this day and age? And her magical virgin hoo-ha makes Finn, an inveterate bachelor, fall headfirst into love? Seriously reconsidering my three-and-a-half star rating...