Ami's Hoard

I admit that I approached this one with slight trepidation. Mostly because both Scarlet and Bridger came into the relationship with a secret on their back. Scarlet is hiding her whole identity, being the daughter of a man who is allegedly accused of having sex with underage boys, which results in her being a pariah during her last year of high school. While Bridger is hiding a secret that he's been taking care of his young sister on his own because their Mom is an addict and he fears if Lucy is being taken by the DCFS. I often find that relationship with secrets is a key to over-the-top dragging drama.

Well, I'm so GLAD that I've been proven wrong!!

Yes, Scarlet and Bridger have their secrets -- but those secrets come out quite early on the game. I actually loved how both reacted to it. Bridger's secret comes out first, and I was happy that he was willing to spill everything to Scarlet afterwards. Sometimes -- even in Adult Romance -- the hero will take the 'this is my burden and I won't trouble you' path (although Bridger DID keep this a secret from his best friend) and it usually annoys me (see my point on dragging drama). Scarlet's secret comes out a bit later -- but again, I loved how Bridger actually already knows about her identity and it isn't a big of a deal for him. That he is more worried about Scarlet, the person, rather than Scarlet who hides a secret.

Gah, I loved these two!!

There was a moment where Scarlet acts martyr-like, when his father's lawyer's bodyguard threatens her (and to that extent, threatens Bridger and Lucy as well), and

... but this is solved pretty quick when another tragedy hits. Since that moment, Bridger and Scarlet are SOLID and they are combining resources to deal with their problems and I loved very much. They are really great together!

So yep, this one is a winner for me. Even if it also has a case of virgin heroine, which I usually think it's a bit too cliché, but somehow it works really well here. I wish that I could see Scarlet playing hockey near the end though, I'm sure she will be awesome ...