Letters From Home by Rhonda Nelson

Your eyes aren't deceiving you; I really did read a Harlequin Blaze book. Been engrossed in a crap load of Urban Fantasy lately( not that Im complaining) and got a little overwhelemed. So I looked for something light and sweet. This book caught me with it's: hawt military dude, small town setting, and driftwood animals.

Subject: Levi McPherson, Army Ranger. Current status: Active duty. Mission: Locate a sexy, unidentified correspondent. Conduct very private negotiations! Obstacle: Natalie Rowland, longtime star of his X-rated dreams… Levi McPherson's tour of duty has an unexpected benefit: anonymous red-hot love letters! Someone he knows is mailing the rugged soldier her very explicit fantasies. And he's loving every word. On an unexpected leave home, he discovers his sexy secret admirer—Natalie Rowland, the longtime star of his own X-rated dreams! But he's not letting Natalie know her cover's blown…yet. That way, the exquisite pleasure of fulfilling each and every one of her naughty ideas is all his—and hers….

Natalie has problems. Is it her overprotective father or best friend Adam who lost his leg in combat? No, she's about to be unmasked as a penpal hussy and wants to crawl in a hole and die. She's been anonymously writting her best friend's brother for months. She didn't mean to let it go so far, but after seeing the man inside, she couldn't stop herself. If this is all of him that she can have, she'll take it. In typical romance fashion theres a slip up, now it's only a matter of time before Levi knows her identity and the chips fall. Levi McPherson has been deployed in Iraq for 10 months. It's been a hard tour and the letters he receives from his friends & family give him the strength to keep going. The highlight being the anonymous letters he's been receiving from a girl in his hometown. Her letters trigger all types of appetites, she tells him of home, her fantasies, her longing and never sign her letters. He nicknames her Ms. X and their correspondence has grown to something he wants to explore. He has leave coming up and he's determined to find ms X and make the steamy letters a reality. Natalie and Levi have been crushing on each other since their teens. Noble Levi always kept Nat at a distance because he believed, she and Adam were more than just friends. He distanced himself to avoid poaching on his brother's territory. Nat knew she never stood a chance with Levi, since he always acted as though she were contagious. Now they're back in the same town, with the mystery letter business unveiling their desires, but there are fresh complications. They're both equally in love with and committed to very different lives. Where Levi needs the globe trotting soldier lifestyle, Natalie has put down strong roots in all aspects of the small town community and her drift wood art gallery. Nat and Levi make a OK couple. Her letters ( well the snippets of them) were full of TMI. Sweet? Yes. Sexy? Definitely. But all in all, just a breathe away from creepy stalker. Everything went too smoothly. The plot conflicts came to a head with a "squeak" instead of a satisfying "boom". Overall this story wasn't very exciting, but I didn't expect fireworks so I'm pretty content. My favorite character was Adam, whose book 'The Soldier" is coming soon. His determination to not let his injury define him and the playful/competitive interaction with his love interest, makes me all giddy. And on a crass note, I have plain ole fashioned curiosity about how Nelson will handle the love scenes. Final Grade:

Liked the Premise of this book, but aspects of its execution were WEAK. Enjoyed it enough to continue riding the series/author out, at my own leisurely pace. Beyond the hype, this book is fine for a fluffy generic read. But more library rental/swap quality, rather than a keeper on my personal bookshelf.

Around The Net: Nada...well there was a Harriet Klausner summary pretending to be a review, but I'll spare you. If any of you guys have reviewed this book please link to it in your comment and I'll edit it in.