Curveball Book Review

Title:  Curveball #1
Series:  Curveball
Author:  Teresa Michaels
My Rating:  3.5 ♥♥♥'s 
Characters/romance=4 ♥'s
Suspense/plot development=3 ♥'s

*Thanks to Teresa for a free copy of Curveball to review.


Synopsis:

Breanne Sullivan’s world has been turned upside down. In the midst of an investigation surrounding her husband, Breanne returns to the corporate world she left years ago to raise her children. Now, a required business trip places her on Innovation Airways’ maiden flight sitting next to pitching sensation and self-proclaimed bachelor, Drew Scott.
Drew is charismatic, devastatingly handsome and has never encountered a woman he couldn’t have. That is, until he meets Breanne, whose attempts to deny the intense attraction they share only fuels Drew’s determination not to take no for an answer. But when the flight veers off-course and an unfathomable sequence of events forces them to rely on each other in a race for their lives, intentions quickly change. High-tech travel turns into a game of survival that invites temptation and threatens to push their desires over the edge. 
He’s a tempting distraction she has to resist. She’s an unexpected challenge he’s determined to have at least once. The question is, if she gives in will he be able to let her go?

My Review:

I enjoy discovering new authors, books, & characters to love.  If a book's synopsis is unique & interesting, I'm usually game to give it a try.  Curveball fits the criteria, tempting me to accept the book for a honest review in spite of my overfull reading calendar.  As I read, I found myself drawn into an intriguing story with a couple of main characters I soon found myself pulling for.  Breanne is a mother of 3 who has returned to the workforce after several years of staying at home, and Drew is a skirt chasing, hard drinking baseball player whose contract may or may not be renewed.  When they meet on the maiden voyage of a new, innovative airline, sparks fly.  However, things soon take an unexpected turn for the worse, & they find themselves stranded & in a race for their lives.  Michaels did a good job developing these characters and certainly made me care about them.  Breanne has an innocent air about her but turns out to be a strong heroine who can stand up for herself.  While Drew first came off as arrogant & a bit full of himself, I soon saw another side to the man, and I fell in love.  Their developing relationship sizzles even though both are in denial.  Great job with character development! 

While I found the concept of the story intriguing, I felt like the suspense/mystery plot was neglected somewhat in favor of the developing romance.  There are several unanswered questions at the end of the book...Who?  Why?  What are they after?  I won't discuss in detail because of spoilers but I wanted more of the suspense to be developed in this book.  While I'm sure it will be in the follow up, the lack of it in Curveball distracted from the overall purpose/pleasure of the book for me.  The ending is a cliffhanger, and while it did leave me wanting to read more, it also left me a little unsatisfied...questions raised early in the book are never really addressed in the story...I'm okay with everything not being resolved but not with it being almost totally overshadowed.

All in all, while there are a few issues, this is a good first book.  I look forward to more from this obviously talented author.  Great imagination & character development!