REVIEW: Shaken And Stirred by Kathleen O'Reilly

Published March 1, 2008
TBR Challenge Review

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Shaken and Stirred is the first book in the Harlequin Blaze trilogy titled "Those SEXY O'Sullivans" by Kathleen O'Reilly. Each of the three books center around one of three O'Sullivan brothers whose stories are intertwined through brotherly bonds as well as through their famous Manhattan family owned bar called Prime. Shaken and Stirred is the love story of the youngest O'Sullivan, Gabe who is the owner of Prime, and Tessa Hart, who is a college student by day and Prime bartender by night. Tessa Hart left her Florida hometown four years ago after being unexpectedly dumped by her then boyfriend Denny Ericcson. The break up was a huge blow to Tessa, namely because she put off college, career or any goals for herself after high school because Denny promised her an easy future with him in which she didn't have to worry about anything. Desolated but not broken, Tessa took off for New York City to make it on her own. Determined to forge her way to complete independence, Tessa has avoided intimate relationships with guys and has been flitting between roommates and apartments, all the while struggling with keeping ends met and studying accounting at a community college. The only thing that Tessa has been able to rely on in her four years in the Big Apple is tending bar at Prime and her boss and mentor, Gabe O'Sullivan. Now Tessa finds herself with a mere five days to find a new place to stay and is offered a room by Gabe. Tessa reluctantly accepts the offer, hesitant to do anything that would change their easy, comfortable relationship as boss and friend. Of course, things get shaken and stirred between Tessa and Gabe the very first night, and their road to their happily ever after is sexy, fun, and at times on the rocks, as Tessa insists on her independence when all Gabe wants to do is take her in forever.

Shaken And Stirred is such a fun romance! I was drawn in to the setting, the cast of characters, and the story line from the very first few pages. Firstly, the setting of the story is perfect. New York City is lively, interesting, and dramatic in and of itself and the perfect compliment to a sexy romance between the owner of a bar and his best bartender and friend. The entire cast of characters, including secondary and trivial characters, are realistic and unique, just as you'd expect at a real life family owned bar.

Although the book is relatively short at 214 pages, Ms. O'Reilly does a wonderful job at developing the individual personalities of her characters, including their flaws and weaknesses. Gabe is protective of Tessa, yet respects her need to survive on her own. Well, he tries his best, anyway. There's only so patient and understanding a guy can be when the woman he loves wants her independence more than anything else. Tessa is confident and determined.... but not. She's still young, a bit naive, a bit skittish, and I think deep down inside loves the idea of having a man take care of her, which completely contradicts her resolve to be completely self reliant. Shaken And Stirred is almost a coming of age story for Tessa as she tries to figure out what's truly important for her present and future success and happiness.

The story line of Shaken And Stirred is at times fun and then at times very serious. The dialogue and pace of the story is excellent, and of course the intimacy shared between Gabe and Tessa is very steamy. I thought the relationship between Gabe and Tessa was realistic, as was the way they fell in love. I understood Tessa's need to have her independence, but at the same time I wanted her to just fall into the security of Gabe. There was a brief part at which I was skeptical of how quickly Gabe's resolve to not wait for Tessa wavered. One moment he was adamant about not waiting around for her, and then the next moment he was ready to wait forever for her. But young love is confusing, and it's easy to say one thing and then do another, so I got over it. The story was just so sweet and sexy, I couldn't help but love it. It's a friends to lovers romance that had me rooting for a happily ever after for Gabe and Tessa from the very beginning. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy, which are both in my TBR pile, so stay tuned!

GRADE: A-

Unfortunately, Shaken And Stirred is no longer available to purchase new in paperback. It is, however, available in Kindle edition at Amazon HERE or in ebook format at eharlequin HERE.

Visit Kathleen O'Reilly at her website: http://www.kathleenoreilly.com/