TOTALLY HIS by Erin Nicholas

Publisher:     Forever

Published:     October 31, 2017

ISBN:        978-1455539727

Genre:      Contemporary Romance

Format:     Print

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  myreviewbooks@aol.com

FOUR HEARTS

 

Sophie Birch is not interested in any kind of permanent relationship.  Life and her own family have taught her it just doesn’t work.  What does work for her is the theatre left to her by her beloved grandmother. 

Police officer Finn Kelly isn’t interested in a happily ever after with one woman.  He came close to trying it once, but when he realized he didn’t love the future Mrs. Kelly he broke it off.  What bothered him about the break up was how it affected his family—not the loss of someone he truly loved.

One of Sophie’s actors has written a play—one that Sophie is certain will draw in crowds and speak to their hearts.  But when the theatre catches on fire Sophie is on the brink of losing everything—the script, the theatre, her source of income…but the one thing she didn’t expect to lose was her heart to a cop named Finn.

And Finn certainly didn’t think following a woman into a burning building would lead him to the love of his life. 

But fate somehow has something else in mind.

Erin Nicholas’s latest read, TOTALLY HIS caught my attention because I was a theatre major in college and worked in the field a few years after.  It sounded like something I just couldn’t miss – and I’m glad I picked it up. 

Because I’m one of those people who just HAS to read a series in order I read books 1 and 2, COMPLETELY YOURS and FOREVER MINE first.  COMPLETELY YOURS didn’t do it for me.  I just couldn’t relate.  FOREVER MINE, however, was a really good read and it left me eager to get into TOTALLY HIS. I was not disappointed.

I loved Sophie and Finn both as individuals and as a couple.  They have some wonderful interpersonal dynamics that made the book hard to put down.  Sophie has some terrific dimension and it comes through in a super way when Finn describes how he sees here many sides to her.  He’s smart and loyal and has his own set of emotions.  What I liked about him as well was his willingness to look at his own issues.

The Kelly family is a hoot.  They love, they fight, they share good times and bad and still love each other.  They are willing to open their arms to anyone in need be it physical or emotional.  They are the kind of family you want to be part of.

There are some great scenes not only in the theatre, but in the Kellys’ bar. 

And then there’s Sophie’s father.  He’s a classic narcissistic sociopath.  His character is one of the ones that if this were a cozy mystery and he was the victim you wouldn’t mind.  I wanted to reach into the book and throttle him every time he showed up.  What an abusive character.  I don’t imagine writing him was easy for Nicholas because he was so despicable.

What didn’t work for me was the opening of the book—no police officer, especially one in a big city, would surreptitiously follow someone into a burning building without back up and some sort of protective gear.  The first rule of first responders is for their own safety because if they aren’t safe, they ultimately cannot help someone else.  While this is fiction, I had a hard time shelving what I know about public safety and first responders. 

And then there was Frank, Sophie’s father.  It looked like he was going to get off scot free, but at the very end Nicholas shows just how creative she is with a really nice twist.

The first three books center around three female roommates:  Maya, Kiera and Sophie.  With the introduction of the Kellys I hope they either get their own series or that this one will branch off for their stories. 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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