
In this iteration of the Adlers, we are focusing on the eldest of the children, Michael, who is the perennial "confirmed bachelor" of the family. Michael loves women, but he sees nothing more in the future than a possible long-term relationship with one. Marriage is an outdated institution in his opinion and not for him. Enter the gorgeous and successful solo-mother Analese and her ten-year-old muscular dystrophy affected son, Trevor. The chemistry between Michael and Analese is undeniable from the very first time their hands touched at Michael's brother's engagement party.
The story is well-written and the sex-scenes are suitably hot and steamy, but not an overwhelming part of the novel. This is very much a modern-day romance of the old style, but more explicit than the classical romances.
I very much enjoyed the read and meeting the Adler clan. In many ways, the book reminded me of another author of romance I've read a lot of, Mary Crawford. Anita Louise's books are clearly built around a core group of people, in this case, the Adler family. In each story, it is one of the Adler children and his or her romance that is highlighted, but the recurring Adler characters keep popping in, like old friends. I did particularly like this aspect of the book.
A couple of very minor negatives I took away from the story. At times it did feel like I was reading a self-help (Law of Attraction) textbook, with a fictional tale woven through it. It seemed like the author was determined to educate as well as entertain us and although there is nothing wrong with that concept per se, it may have been a little overdone in this case. The other thing I felt was missing from the story was "conflict". The potential for some real conflict was suggested and hinted at early on, but ultimately that fizzled out with the "happy ever after".
None of this detracted too much from my enjoyment, however, and if you're looking for a good, solid, romantic series, with a bit of spicy stuff, you certainly could do a lot worse than the Adler Series by Anita Louise. Within its genre, this is an excellent book and I suspect an excellent series.
A good, solid four stars from this reviewer.
