Review: All Wound Up by Jaci Burton

I had a really hard time deciding how to rate this book. There are things I absolutely loved, I mean it IS a Jaci Burton book, but there were also things I found frustrating. That said, I am going to do something I normally wouldn’t and review elements of the book separately. I am hoping that will allow me to explain the rating I’ve given the book.

The Story and Storytelling – 4 Cocktails

I loved the premise of this book and have been waiting to read it. Our main characters are Tucker, the baseball playing member of the Cassidy family who we met in Quarterback Draw, and Aubrey, the daughter of Tucker’s team owner and a doctor in residency. Tucker is convinced he doesn’t want anything serious yet and Aubrey doesn’t want anything at all, but they are attracted to each other. Their first meeting is pretty funny and it was nice to see Tucker have to work a little to get a girl’s attention. I really loved that Aubrey was a strong female character who wasn’t afraid to tell Tucker to take a hike when he didn’t do what he said he would. I also loved that he was a big enough man to apologize when needed and that she was willing to forgive. These two were fun to watch as they progressed from just getting to know one another to being significant to each other without them seeming to notice it. Things like him wanting her to go with him to a party where a lot of his teammates would be and her being comfortable enough to sleep over even when his brothers were visiting. Love snuck up on these two and it was great to watch.

Editing – 2.5 Cocktails

I normally try to ignore editing issues in advance copies because for all I know, the book is still being worked on. Unfortunately, there were just too many for me to do that this time. I’m not going to give specific examples, but some of the things I saw:

-Incorrect regional vernacular (I am from the area being discussed and the terminology used made me cringe)

-Inconsistencies in scenes. There were two scenes in the first half of the book where things just didn’t mesh with what happened just previously.

-Stilted and stiff dialogue between characters. There are two occasions where the Aubrey and Tucker are in groups and the conversations just don’t flow the way you would expect from people who supposedly know each other.

-Sex for the sake of sex – There are a couple of places in the book where Aubrey and Tucker are together, but it really doesn’t do anything to advance the story. One scene in particular stands out for me. Tucker shows up at the hospital where Aubrey works, they find an empty room, and away they go with him leaving as soon as they are done. There is very little context for why he went to the hospital. Did he miss her and just needed to see her then got carried away when he did? Without knowing his motivation, that particular scene made me lose a little respect for Tucker. There were a couple of other scenes where we don’t really have a good reason for them being together other than schedules matched up and we get a detailed sex scene, but there isn’t anything really new expressed on an emotional or relationship front.

Okay, now that I’ve ripped this poor book apart, let me tell you that I loved how the book ended. Aubrey’s Dad (and Tucker’s boss) stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and our main characters suffered for it. Aubrey impressed me with the way she handled things and I appreciated that Tucker went to his parents for advice. I don’t want to give anything away, but will say that the way things were handled allowed our characters to deal with the drama without creating more and it was just right.

Overall, All Wound Up was a decent read, but not one of the author’s stronger efforts. The story has potential to be really good, but there were too many issues that pull the reader from the story for it to be more than average.