Ella is a kind of Cinderella, but it's her own narcissistic mother who is the villain and her beautiful dependent sister who pulls her back into her difficult family dynamics. When her sister unexpectedly dumps her one week old on her mother, everyone knows that it is Ella who will sort it out. And Ella does. She puts her own life on hold for 3 months and takes baby Luke into her heart. But her acceptance of Luke highlights the weaknesses in her relationship with Dane (and that relationship is where the book loses a star, I didn't believe the conversation they had a month into her trip to Houston, it just didn't ring true for me.) So she is more open to Jack Travis, a smooth talking stranger who starts helping her out.

I really enjoyed Ella and Jack's relationship, I liked their humor and their conversations. And it's hot. Very hot! I usually don't favor books told in the first person, but we had so much insight into Ella's thinking, and still managed to get a good perspective on Jack, that it worked for me. I like to fall in love with the romance in the books I read, and this is definitely one you can fall in love with. It’s a keeper! ( )

I have not read Kleypas's first Travis Family book, SUGAR DADDY, but I have read BLUE-EYED DEVIL and really enjoyed it. The plot of SUGAR DADDY just never appealed to me - and still doesn't - but I decided to take a chance on BLUE-EYED DEVIL since Kleypas has long been my favorite historical romance author.

SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER is a very sweet and charming book. Ella is a wonderful heroine, very authentic and accessible. Jack is just delicious and absolutely fantastic - no one writes a hero like Lisa Kleypas!! The chemistry between the two sizzles off the pages, but there is definitely more to their relationship than just lust.

The presence of Luke, Ella's nephew, adds a whole other dimension to the romance story and in my opinion only enhances it. You want to just melt every time Jack picks Luke up or plays with him, lol. This book almost features two love stories: one between Ella and Jack, and the other between Ella and Luke - they're both fantastic.

CRITICISM:
My only problem was that I felt the ending was a little abrupt and rushed and for a little while (just a few pages - maybe even just paragraphs - but timewise in the story it's two months) I felt like Luke kind of disappeared; I would have thought there would be more emphasis on Ella missing him. Ella's reaction to what happens in the Epilogue makes it almost easy to forget that little blip, since we once again clearly see how much she loves him, but it still nags a little.

SUMMARY (from inside flap):
~ He answers to no one ... ~
No one has ever truly touched Jack Travis's heart or soul ... until Ella Varner comes along. She appears one day on his doorstep with fury in her eyes and a baby in her arms. Her troubled sister is the mother and, according to Ella, Jack Travis is the father. But when Ella demands that Jack take responsibility for the first time in his life, he ends up taking much more than that ...

~ She trusts no one ... ~
Ella Varner is responsible and controlled. Her childhood taught her that love is fleeting and best avoided. That is, until baby Luke appears on her doorstep after her reckless sister, Tara, abandons him. What Luke needs now is stability, and Ella's determined to do what is best for him. As her bond with the helpless child grows stronger every day, Ella goes to Houston in search of the father. What she finds there will change her life forever ...

~ And when things heat up between these two, the time for talking is long gone ... ~
Lisa Kleypas lets the sparks fly once again in a novel featuring the larger-than-life Travis family. Full of sizzling sensuality and undeniable heart, her storytelling will grab hold of you from the very first page to the last.

THE TRAVIS FAMILY SERIES:
1) SUGAR DADDY - Gage's story
2) BLUE-EYED DEVIL - Haven's story
3) SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER - Jack's story
4) ? - Joe's story

BOTTOM LINE:
Wonderful book; definitely recommend. You don't have to have read the other Travis family books, since everyone is introduced thoroughly. I would recommend reading BLUE-EYED DEVIL since it's a real treat and I'm very much looking forward to Joe's story ... don't know when it's coming out, but will let you know when I find out! ( )

Not my favorite Lisa Kleypas, I didn't feel as though there was much depth to either character. ( )

I liked Ella, the main character. Having been raised by a self-absorbed, selfish mother, Ella has long distanced herself from both her mother and her little sister, Tara, who, despite having been raised by Ella, seems to only be interested in money and men, just like their mother. When Tara abandons her newborn son with their mother, Ella sees no choice other than rescuing her nephew from her mother and takes on the task of finding the baby's father.

Ella's sleuthing skills lead her to Jake, a millionaire playboy with a sexy voice and drop-dead looks. Though she tries to resist, Jake's charms are proving a bit more than Ella can handle, and she can't help but wish she could fall for him...

This is very sexy and romantic, even though Jake is a bit of a "type" rather than a fully developed character. Ella is strong and complex, and I found myself rooting for her almost immediately. A nice, romantic read. ( )

Didn't keep. Did not seem interesting. ( )