Too Charming (Choc Lit)

DS Megan Taylor has been burned before by a “perfect” guy, and she doesn’t intend to get singed again. Defense attorney Scott Armstrong fits the “perfect” guy mold to a tee, and as if that isn’t enough reason to steer clear of him, this is the same guy who tries to free the jerks she’s arrested. Scott, however, likes Megan a lot and he has no intention of letting her slip through his fingers. It isn’t until a case goes terrible wrong, that Megan sees another side of Scott and realizes that he’s far from perfect. And that just may make him the perfect guy for her

Two very strong characters with interesting lives made this book easy to read. I enjoyed the story and it would make a great holiday read.

Written in th third person this story tells of the budding relationship between a cop and a lawyer, never a match made in heaven. The style of writing oozes sensuality for the very first paragraph and will have you racing through the pages at top speed to find out if these feisty individuals can reconcile their differences. If you like fast cars and fancy motorbikes and normal heroines with normal fears, values and lives then this is the book for you.

Too Charming asks us if it is possible for a man to be too attractive and smooth, according to Detective Sergeant Megan Taylor the answer is a resounding YES!

Once upon a time she was swept off her feet by a gorgeous young man who promised her the world and left her heart shattered in about 27 million pieces; three years later she thinks she’s put it back together and walled it off away from sexy men. It has made her wary and prickly but more than that it’s made her super cynical, and knocked her confidence out of the park.

Defence lawyer Scott Armstrong is definitely too charming, charismatic and ridiculously attractive; and his relationship track record is extremely long, unlike any of his relationships. Scott has set his sights on Megan and even he is not sure why, she is definitely not his usual type and she is proving to be hard work.

Scott and Megan have come across each other at work on more than one occasion, and they always seem to be on opposing sides. DS Taylor spends her time working tirelessly to put the bad guys behind bars and as a defence lawyer Scott has an uncanny way with twisting words and spends all his time trying to keep his clients out of jail. In a black and white world this would have the two on opposite sides but we all know that life is not black and white, you have to explore the shades of grey.

This book offers romance and mystery in equal measure.
DS Megan Taylor is a good policewoman – but she’s had her fingers burnt in the romance stakes previously. She meets Scott a very sexy defence lawyer- but she’s determined to resist his charms. After all he spends his working life trying to get the people she arrests, released! She tries to avoid him- but he is on the charm offensive. But is he as charming as he appears? Can she let down her guard and trust him?
It draws you in wondering where the case will go – and the romance!

.With many thanks to Choc Lit and Net Galley for the chance to read this one.

I did enjoy Too Charming. Yet there were so many times throughout this story that I simply wanted to shake Megan and say Get Real – Grow Up – Stop Living In The Past. Yes, I really was that annoyed with the character. I get that Megan was hurt badly in the past by a charming man. I get it, we were told over and over again about the stupid Luke. Still up to the very last chapter, Megan is still convinced that Scott doesn’t know his true feelings. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t Megan that gave this novel a 4 star rating from me – it was Scott, Sally and the overall story that took it to that rating.

Authors create their characters in certain ways for their own reasons. So I’m not saying that Megan was a bad character, she certainly added to the enjoyment and the frustration of the story. Her constant disbelief that a true romance could ever be possible between her and Scott because of the surface he showed to the world was simply annoying. If you care for someone as much as we are lead to believe she cared for Scott then for crying out loud – have a little faith in him.

Scott’s development throughout the story was engaging and entertaining. As we got to know his reasons for the charming, smooth talker that he showed to the world, he became more real and more likeable. Scott grew from what he was to what he could become. Megan stayed a petulant child who was hurt once and forever ever after blamed all men for the actions of one jerk. She never grew up (for me).

There are a couple mysteries within Too Charming that we get to see solved. Through those mysteries we get to understand Scott so much more as well.

I would recommend Too CHarming. Just because I didn’t fall in love with one character does not mean it wasn’t an entertaining, engaging story to read. I simply wished I could root for them as a couple and not just for Scott to find his happy ending.

*I received an e-ARC of Too Charming from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

**Any review is just one person’s opinion. You might feel the same or totally different. The only way to know for certain is for you to read it. This was my opinion of this particular book.**

Too Charming was a quick read for me, and a gentle one. I, like many other readers, had a hard time with the heroine. Though she is well drawn, she comes into the story with so much baggage to overcome, that she grows too slowly for me. That Kathryn Freeman managed to redeem the character by the conclusion of the book is a testament to her writing skills. I appreciated the quality of the background mysteries, they were well woven and interesting. The pacing of the book was even and smooth, and the happily ever after quite satisfying. I went with 4 stars because I felt Ms Freeman's skills warranted the rating. I would read more from this author.
*I received my copy through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a lot to enjoy in this romantic tale between the police detective and the defense lawyer, dealing with a woman who’s lost all her faith in men and a man who has never been in love before. Megan is a hardworking single mother, with an adorable daughter, and who’s dedicated to her work with the police force. She wants to lock away the bad guys and stop them from harming anyone else. And she knows too much about too handsome, too charming men like Scott to ever trust one with her heart.

Yet Scott is a bit of a surprise. Sure, he’s confident and good looking and more than a touch charming, but he’s also hardworking, surprisingly sensitive and definitely has a vulnerable side. In fact he’s a bit of a sweetie. I loved the scenes between him and Sally, Megan’s little girl. He’s so good with her, despite his own troubled childhood, and the way he keeps trying with Megan was pretty impressive considering how she treats him.

If I had any problems with this book it would be how Megan treats Scott. I like her as a character, almost as much as I like him, but her behaviour towards him is awful. She’s so judgemental, and the more she gets to know Scott, the more good points she finds in him, the worse she judges him. It’s almost as if she refuses to admit she’s wrong. She labelled him as one thing, so he has to live up to it or she simply can’t see him again. I found it quite frustrating, especially towards the end where it didn’t even make any sense anymore.

Away from that, though, this is an enjoyable romance. I loved the way the pair of them grew closer and how supportive Megan could be when she wasn’t judging Scott for things he hadn’t done. There’s also a darker side to the tale with murder and crime and battles for justice, but there’s no mystery to it and the darkness doesn’t really infect the tale. Mostly this is sweet and fairly light, enjoyable and fun amidst the arguments and kisses.

If you like your romance with a bit more of an edge that usual lovely fluff, this provides it without ever crossing the grim-dark border. I found it easy and enjoyable, Scott is a real sweetheart and I adored Sally. A truly charming tale.

Kathryn Freeman's 'Too Charming' is the perfect feel-good, romantic read! If you like a strong independent heroine and a cocky, yet gorgeous hero, then this book will have you swooning!

From the word go there was something about 'Too Charming' that just sucked me in. From the first page, Megan was a character I knew I would stick with; strong, independent, fiercely protective, and a devoted mother to her young daughter. Just seeing the fierce reaction she had whenever she was around Scott had me beaming, and I was excited to see how he would go about reworking her opinion of him. Scott was a sexy breath of fresh air. His character was developed perfectly, and I went from groaning at how he could be such a typical male, to fanning myself when he did something so sweet and loving that it surprised not just Megan but him too.

Kathryn Freeman did a fantastic job at using Megan and Scott's jobs as ways of showing their characteristics and morals, and especially comparing their differing work-place opinions to their fears that they have in having a romantic relationship with each other. Megan's tendency to first assume guilt, due to the nature of her policing career, and Scott's firm belief that somebody is innocent until proven guilty was beautifully contrasted throughout the development of their relationship, as we see the struggle it takes for them to find a balance that is essential in every relationship.

I adored the chemistry that seeped off the page in this book, and witnessing the transformation that both Scott and Megan made throughout the novel was inspiring and truly a dream come true for any romantic!

5 Stars!

*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Charming romance with an exciting detective story!

Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman delivered as promised in the synopsis. Our hero was devilishly handsome, smooth, and sexy. Our heroine was smart, strong, and loyal to a fault. In fact, she was often TSTL because her loyalty was to her own heart, taking every step in life to avoid being hurt again by any man, never letting herself go enough to find real love. Her motto seemed to be: “Get Him Before He Gets You.”

I found myself chuckling often, and crying even more often throughout this engaging story. I had a terrible time putting it down to go about my daily responsibilities.

There was but one thing that let me down. I was left drooling to know if the HEA was well and truly real. I wanted an Epilogue to tell me how things were going two or three years down the road. I could have gladly made up my own Epilogue, but I bet the author would have thought of a better one.

Loved the chemistry between the main characters. It wasn't just a romance, but with a mystery added that twist that kept me reading.

I am a bit behind the times, as this was released in 2013, but what an incredible debut from Kathryn Freeman!

The characters are likeable (and in Scott's case, absolutely to die for loveable) and the chemistry is the most explosive I've seen in a while. I loved that Scott wasn't a "what you see is what you get" man and I also loved discovering the other side to him, even if it was a frustrating journey that made me want to smack Megan several times over.

I adored his relationship with Megan's little girl and the moments with Megan's parents also brought a smile to my face. All in all, I adored it - it (well let's not kid ourselves, Scott) had my heart and soul hooked and I never wanted to put it down.

The only slight disappointment was the end - when it came, it was too quick and is the sort of ending that screams out for an epilogue and in the absence of that, I would love to revisit these characters in the future to see where they ended up.

The writing is outstanding; I feel like I lived every emotion with Megan and Scott and often found myself holding my breath as the chemistry and tension was so strong. I cannot wait to discover more of Kathryn Freeman.

I understand that Kathryn is just about to release her third book with Choc Lit (out August 13th) and it is bound to be another scorcher.