Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy

After reading several novellas by HelenKay Dimon, I wondered how I would like a single title. I'm pleased to say I liked Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy very much: 4 out of 5.

Annie Parks came to Hawaii to gather information and settle a score, not spend time handcuffed to a sexy stranger's bed. Okay, so this particular stranger saved her from drowning after she was pitched overboard by some goons. And he's about six feet of hard, Hawaiian muscle and gorgeous cool that's making forgotten parts of her say, "A-lo-ha!" She needs to stay focused, but a side dish of Kane Travers is awfully tempting.

Kauai Police Chief Kane Travers is not a vacation kind of guy. So it figures that when Internal Affairs suspended him, he'd end up rescuing a sarcastic, dishonest, extremely hot redhead who is clearly hiding something. Amnesia? Yeah, right. Kane's got half a mind to give Miss Whoever She Is something she'll never forget. His cop senses tell him that the lady's in deep and needs his protection. But how can he get her to tell him anything when all he wants is to take her home and do everything?

Is it just me, or does it seem like there are fewer contemporary romances out there these days? In any case, this perception--real or not--makes me really appreciate good contemporary writers when I find them. Dimon is one of them.

Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy starts with an intriguing spin on the classic amnesia story. Yes, Annie is injured. She tells Kane she doesn't remember who she is. But she hasn't really lost her memory. Instead, she's on the run. She has a mission to fulfill, and she's not sure whether to trust Kane. At the same time, she and Kane are desperately attracted to each other.

Kane has problems of his own. He's on "involuntary vacation" from his job as police chief. Enter another problem: Annie. I loved that Kane knows Annie isn't being honest with him, so there is no big misunderstanding about her honesty. He knows there's more to her story, and he also knows what he's starting to feel about her.

She does have a mouth that drives Kane crazy, and this makes the dialogue a treat to read. Here's an example:

"Travers is a famous Hawaiian name?"

He opened one eye and peeked at her. "Are you always this chatty after sex?"

"Be happy I'm not singing."

"Oh, I don't know. I like the idea of having a woman break into song right after an orgasm."

Speaking of sex, Kane and Annie have terrific chemistry, and their love scenes are wonderfully written. This chemistry is one of the biggest strengths of the book.

I did think that Annie should have fully trusted Kane sooner than she did. His job as a cop was a definite barrier, but I thought he proved himself before Annie did. Then again, given her end goal, that's understandable. The ending was just fantastic, and I'm excited to read Dimon's upcoming books. She's a great new voice in contemporary romance.