Truth or Dare: Playing with Fire Book 1, Anne Conley

A children's game, when played by adults, can have some unintended consequences.  In Jude's case, it brings him Annette.  Annette is working hard toward her future as an artist and she certainly wasn't expecting Jude and all the heat they make together.  To make something work between them they'll each have to learn how to let go of the past and see the possibility of a future together that gives them their dream as well as someone to share it with.

Annette's desire to have a future based on her art is admirable.  I love that she stands up to Drake.  What I'm less a fan of is her quickness to ignore all the evidence of what a good man Jude is, to distrust that he understands her motivations, to downplay her own rapidly growing feelings, and to berate herself for taking a chance on a great man who has quickly become her muse.  The end kind of makes up for her self-imposed blindness but it doesn't make me any less irritated when she does what she does.  That being said, the way she sticks to her guns regarding her professional goals speaks to her inner strength and belief in her talent.  She knows what she wants and will work hard to achieve the success she knows her art deserves.  I'd like to have seen her grow throughout the story, not just accept that she can truly have the man and the career, but her individual growth as she makes friends and begins to believe in herself and not just her art.

Jude is a simple man with a lot to offer.  It's unfortunate that his ex seems to be so nasty.  We see more of her later that gives us hope that that's not all she is, but throughout most of the story I'm left to wonder if Jude is the kind of man who's blind enough to be led around by his little head.  I know there's more to him and we see that he was frustrated with what his previous relationship turned into but for all his goodness, strength, and caring, he seems to lose sight of what his heart and soul really need in favor of his hormones.  He's a passionate man and there's certainly no avoiding that, nor would I wish he were different in that respect.  I just think that there isn't enough focus on the relationship's depth.  And his response to Annette's phone call near the end?  Pretty confusing since we've already been privy to his heart and intentions toward her.

I do think that phone call led Annette to really take stock of her feelings and intentions so it was an effective tool here, but I think it kind of felt a bit forced.  As if the direction of the call didn't make sense as a connection between Jude's and Annette's conclusions.  But the conversation at the Lodge was just about perfect.  Getting them on the same page and talking about what brought them to that point was worth the wait.  We get to see that they're really and truly willing to work on things together from there on out, that they have more than just a fighting chance at a happily-ever-after, they're well on their way to all the things.

Overall I felt that this book needed a few more chapters.  We're missing some individual growth on Annette's side, connections and interactions between the MC's and the side cast to make them feel full and well-rounded as individuals, and some relationship foundations were summarized and briefly touched on but should probably have been expounded a bit more.  So about 100 more pages would have made this a fantastic story instead of just a really good one.  However, as we get to know some of the characters of this town I'm drawn in and eager to learn about each of them.  The cast is solid and multi-faceted.  While most of them play great supporting roles to Jude and Annette here, they're intriguing as individuals which only makes me want to read their stories.  This is a good start to the series and I'm excited for more!

*99¢ on Amazon!