GETTING ROUGH – C. L. Parker
Monkey Business Trio
, Book 2
Bantam Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-101-88296-2
January 2016
Contemporary Romance

Stonington, Maine – Present Day

Shaw Matthews is driving in the backwoods of Maine looking for his lover/arch business nemesis Cassidy Whalen and about to give her a piece of his mind.  How dare she give up the top football player they had both been wooing to sign with their sports agency and go to the outback of nowhere with no explanation.  He didn't need her help or her pity, he was going to sign Denver “Rocket Man” Rockford using his charm just like he always did.  He's not quite sure why he's driven to Maine, where—shock, shock—they seldom even have CELL PHONE COVERAGE?  Who would live in this small fishing village?  As soon as he finds out what's up he's back to enjoying his promotion with their company and enjoying the fruits of his hard work.

Cassidy just gave over Rocket Man to Shaw, thereby losing her almost certain promotion in their company when she heard her mother was in the hospital, and she was needed to help with her parents' bed and breakfast.  Even though their small town in Maine couldn't hold her, her parents mean everything to her.  When she arrives she finds out her mother will be leaving the hospital soon.  She fell off a ladder trying to clean out the leaves in the gutter, incurring broken bones and having a concussion; all because she wasn't taking her high blood pressure medicine due to the high price.  Abby Michaels is the cook and general helper at the family bed and breakfast, and her son Casey and Cassidy have been friends since childhood.  Whenever Cassidy comes into town, she and Casey hook up, but a small town in Maine just isn't for her, despite knowing Casey is waiting for her to return his feelings.  When Cassidy returns home from the hospital, who does she find eating Abby's famous turkey sandwich but Shaw Matthews; what in the world is he doing in Maine?  He probably thinks after showing her his hard knock childhood she gave up her client in pity.

Not only is Shaw now at the bed and breakfast, but Cassidy's old boyfriend Casey is there too.  His family are fishermen, and while Cassidy loves him and he understands her like no one else, it isn't the type of feeling like she has for Shaw.  But when Mia, a romance author who is spending the summer there writing a book about a fisherman starts getting cozy with Casey, Cassidy doesn't know what to do.  She knows she will feel lost without her go-to boyfriend, but is it fair to leave him alone, just waiting for her to come home maybe once a year?  Is Shaw worth giving up Casey, who has been her refuge all her life?

C. L. Parker is continuing the story of Shaw and Cassidy, two hard-headed and driven sports agents; Cassidy is equal to Shaw any day of the week, until her family's needs come first.  Told from their points of view, they are two very strong personalities with a passion for each other that cannot be denied.  Also told from Casey's and Mia's points of view, their stories weave together and create a tapestry of strength and understanding.

Secondary characters are Cassidy's parents, Casey and his mother Abby, and Mia, staying in the bed and breakfast for the past several months and tentative about making any relationship with Casey as it appears his heart is taken by Cassidy, even though she's not around.

GETTING ROUGH follows two strong-willed characters and how difficult it is for them to admit that their lives aren't complete without the other.  Cassidy gives up everything to return home, and Shaw can't understand that because of his rough childhood.  It not only is powerful to see Shaw and Cassidy work out their problems, but also to see Casey realize it isn't love Cassidy feels for him, and maybe Mia is the woman who is right for him.  COMING CLEAN, the third book in the MONKEY BUSINESS TRIO will be out in September 2016, and will continue Cassidy and Shaw's life as they try to come to terms with their love.

Carolyn Crisher