"Shut Up and Kiss Me"
by Christie Craig
Source: sent by publisher in exchange for review
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
My Review:
Shala Winters is a photographer hired by the mayor of Precious, TX to raise tourism for their town. Her first photography event is a pow wow ceremony presented by the Chitiwa tribe. Shala had no idea that no pictures are allowed by the tribe. She respects their rules and doesn't take any photos but she refuses to leave her expensive equipment unattended. Police Chief, Sky Gomez, confiscates her camera, in full ceremonial dress, no less. As Shala tries her best to explain what happened, Sky keeps the camera until he finds out more. Soon they realize that someone is after the photos on the camera and Shala. Whoever seeks her is desperate enough to kill. Shala has no choice but to stay in Precious with Sky and his lovably dysfunctional family until she is out of danger.
I am not usually a fan of contemporary romance, but I was drawn in by the Native American characters, not to mention that this was a "Guaranteed Read!" I am so glad I stepped out of the box to read this book because I loved it!! Christie Craig has written a story with a bit of everything- edge of your seat plot, a full cast of supporting characters, humor, and of course, a believable romance between two great leads.
Shala was a great mix of strong and vulnerable. Sky was believable as someone who always wanted to do the right thing, but it didn't always happen that way.
Sky's foster brother, Jose, was hilarious. Poor Jose as constantly getting a pie in the face, reminding him of why he left Precious. I can honestly say, I could never tell where his relationship with Maria was headed.
This author really knows how to create a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter! And there were so many stories going on at once, you have to wait a while to see what happens every time there's a cliffhanger! Her writing style really keeps the pages turning.
Part of why I read this was to read about the modern Native American culture and I wasn't disappointed. I liked the modern (Jose) vs. traditional (Sky and Jose's father, Redfoot) viewpoints.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 3/5 (could be better, but I love the pic of Sky's dog/wolf on the back with the camera-perfect representation of the story)
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: This book has it all and I was drawn in from page one. I'll definitely be looking forward to more from this author.