#BookReview: Any Man I Want - Michele Grant

Katrina Montgomery is a hell cat. As the youngest in her family, she’s used to getting what she wants, even if it means inconveniencing others. That attitude served her well as a model and even now, as a fashion designer. Up until a certain point, it has also served her well in the romance department. But the hell cat runs across a scorned man determined to bring her, and the business she’s created with her family and friends, down. Enter her knight in shining armor, or at least a well-tailored suit, Carter Parks.

Known as Big Sexy to his friends, Carter Parks is a man who knows what he wants. A former football player, he’s now a successful businessman. His ties with the Montgomerys go back far. As a friend of Beau, spotlighted in Pretty Boy Problems, Carter would have never imagined that the strong willed brat he used to watch with amusement at Montgomery family gatherings would turn into the beautiful woman Katrina has become. Crossing the line from family friend to lover can be difficult, especially when your family and friends are watching every move you make.

It’s fun to see the give and take between Katrina and Carter. I do find that he’s a bit more pliable and willing to bend for Katrina long before she’s willing to do the same for him. That’s refreshing to me because so many female characters are written as damsels in distress who are willing to change who they are to please a man. While Katrina may eventually bend, she’s not a woman that would ever do a complete 180 degree turn to please anyone. Make no mistake, Carter isn’t doing a 180 for anyone either, so watching them struggle to find mutual ground is entertaining.

I love watching all of Grant’s characters interact and they do it well because they know each other. Similar to what Susan Elizabeth Phillips has done with a number of her books, the characters in Any Man I Want have appeared in Grant’s earlier works, the aforementioned Pretty Boy Problems and Heard It All Before. So when you read their interactions, they make sense and it’s like watching a group of friends. They feel familiar and comfortable and you’re glad that they’re back together even if this is the last time you’ll see them.

288pp
Published: July 2014