Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (October 2, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0425217191
ISBN-13: 978-0425217191

When Dorie Anderson meets a cute guy, she becomes a huge klutz. Maybe this is why she hasn't had a date in six months. Statistically speaking, these years are supposed to be the sexual highlight of her life. So where are the highlights?

One phone call has turned Dorie's dead-end life into an adventure: she's won a trip on a singles' cruise to Fiji. With her cutest outfits packed and The Love Boat theme in her head, Dorie boards - and soon meets two hotties: pro baseball player Andy, and the ship's hunky French doctor. She's sure she'll fall head-over-heels in no time. Unfortunately, she's right: soon, she trips over her luggage right in front of them, leaving her with her foot twisted - and her ego deflated.

But a bigger disaster awaits. A storm wrecks the ship, stranding everyone on a deserted shore, and leaving one person mysteriously missing. Was he swept overboard or pushed? With the sun, the sand, and the heat, it'd be the perfect setting for romance-if it weren't for the fact that there might be a killer among them...someone who probably won't settle for being voted off the island.

SPOILERS! DON'T READ IF U DON'T WANT 2 KNOW WHO DORIE PICKS! SPOILERS!

Dorie Anderson is pretty much just a doormat, albeit a cute one, working a dead-end job at a Shop-Mart for an unforgiving boss while daydreaming of one day being a clothing designer. But upon arriving at work one day, she learns she's won an all expenses paid trip on a sailing yacht to the lovely island of Fiji, and she can't wait to pack her bags and head to paradise.

When Dorie gets to the island, the sounds and colors awaken her senses, and she's determined not to let negative thoughts ruin her much-needed vacation. Wearing one of her Anderson originals, she's ready for an adventure and looking for excitement, and maybe an island romance.

But Dorie has this little problem when it comes to good-looking men: her tongue swells and she becomes rather accident-prone, which is evident when she meets Andy, a gorgeous ball player with a Texan drawl. She gets all flustered and trips over her luggage. Soon she realizes she's surrounded by gorgeous men, from the doctor to the chef and the captain, and despite her little problem, things are starting to look promising. Now she just has to get her ankle taken care of, and she'll be able to enjoy herself as she'd planned to do. After an awkward and disturbing encounter with the cranky French doctor Christian, Dorie is determined to do just that.

With plenty of food - including chocolate - and the romantic attentions of the cute baseball player, Dorie is soon relaxing and making friends with the other ladies onboard. She's flattered by Andy's confident pursuit, yet she can't help it that her gaze keeps turning to Christian, or that everytime it does, he's looking right back at her, with a heat that leaves her breathless. But Dorie knows she doesn't have what it takes to hold the interest of the sexy doc, so she tries to concentrate on fun, easy-going Andy with his quick smiles and charming ways. It almost works. If only he'd stop looking at her...

But before she can do anything about it, their lovely vacation is marred by a violent storm, one that damages the boat and has them stranded on a deserted island, with no immediate hope of rescue. To make matters worse, one of the crew is missing, presumed dead. Murdered. And no one is sure who they can trust. The conditions are rather primitive, but they have reserves, though limited, onboard, and things aren't as desperate as they first feared, but there's also no way of knowing when or if they will be rescued before turning on each other....

"Trouble With Paradise" is a fun and frolicking beach read with a heavy dose of sexual attraction between the likeable Dorie and enigmatic Christian that keeps the pages sizzling. Dorie comes on this trip with the intention of having fun, but leaves with the stronger realization that only she can make her life happen, not someone else, and decides to actively pursue her passion for design. Christian is a doctor frustrated by his circumstances that have him working on a ship; despite being literally in paradise, it does not give him the fulfillment he craves to truly help people. Neither one of them wanted to feel the way they did about each other, but when things go serious, both know that what they've shared together is much more than a summer fling on an island. But what are they going to do about it?

I loved how Dorie and Christian kept gravitating back towards each other, like they couldn't help themselves. Their first kiss happens when neither knows if they will live or die, and it's filled with both passion and deeper emotion. Despite their differences, both personally and professionally, Dorie and Christian share a connection that makes them stronger when they are together. Both characters are able to loosen up and be free with each other, to laugh and love and just get caught up in their attraction, which inevitably leads to them falling in love. It's sweet and sexy, with that signature humor that Jill does so well. Dorie is the kind of woman other women would have as a girlfriend, and Christian is the type of guy we would want to fall in love with. I think I will definitely need to re-read this one while I'm waiting for her next "Sexy" book, which is exactly a month away. And if you're in the mood for a fun, sensual escape to an island paradise, then you definitely need to pick this one up. Jill rocks.

Have you ever been on a cruise?

Who would you want to be stranded with on an island?

Who's your type:

Easy-going, good-looking baseball player or sexy, brooding doctor?

Labels: Jill Shalvis, reviews