Too much drama and I just didn't care enough. Depressing and over the top. ( )

An interesting occupation for the heroine, and a good read. ( )

Since she was fifteen Mi has kept a secret, a dark secret that stole her teen years and has prevented her from staying in a relationship.

Sabotage in the TV program--an adult shopping show--she hosts puts her in contact with Lucas, an ex-navy who is assigned to protect her. Mi falls hard for this thoughtful stranger and for once feels she is the one being cared for. Lucas loves her too but fearing from the consequences that revealing the truth about her past can have in her loved ones, Mi refuses to confide in him.

The threats of an ex-con obsessed with her TV persona throws her again and again into Lucas's arms, making her decision harder, but Mi's sense of family and duty are stronger than love.

Action, suspense and a steamy romance are cleverly intertwined in this novel making Rush a most satisfying read. ( )

This romance, which pairs a heroine who sells sex toys on TV for a living with a much more traditional, ex-navy-SEAL hero starts off pretty light but doesn't stay that way.

Well, maybe it doesn't start out that light, after all: the heroine, Mi, is being stalked by a deranged ex-con who became obsessed with her in prison while, at the same time, a sex-negative community organization is picketing the studio and working with the Texas state congress to have Mi's show banned. Because of all the tension, the owner of the TV studio calls in a favor and convinces the hero, Lucas, to guard Mi until things calm down.

Lucas is a great big brute of a man, but he's soft as pudding on the inside. He falls for Mi almost instantly, and every new twist and turn of the plot gives Lucas a chance to show what lengths he'll go to in order to keep her safe and happy. He couldn't be sweeter, really, except when Mi's in danger, at which point the 'scary mofo' side of his personality comes out.

Mi is a classic caretaker, and she's exhausted. She's worn herself out taking care of other people, especially her dangerously insane mother. We get flashes of Mi's bright personality, especially when she's on set selling the sex toys. You can tell what a vibrant, fun, really warm personality she has - and you can also see how badly damaged and drained she is. My heart really ached for her; she just spends so much time putting up with bad behavior from her brother, her boss, her mother and her co-worker. Lucas would be too domineering for a lot of people, but Mi needs a defender and he's just right for her.

I kind of wish they'd talked a little more - a lot of the romantic conflict in RUSH stems from miscommunication or lack of communication - but at the same time, a lot of the strongest moments hinged on feelings of shame and insecurity that can be so hard to talk about. When Mi visits the home of Lucas' very wealthy family, for example, I ached for her, and even if it would have helped, I knew why she didn't start up a conversation about how unworthy all that luxury made her feel.

Lucas has his own insecurities to deal with and it's really sweet and lovely to see him grow into his own feelings for Mi. He doubts his soft side, and Mi's faith in him so clearly helps him become a better and more whole person.

As a disclaimer, Beth is a friend. She's a great person, and I love the complex bag of tricks she's got going on here - the mix of humor, hot sex, suspense and pathos is pretty great. The intense, instant attraction between Mi and Lucas isn't my favorite thing, but pint-sized Mi and mack-truck Lucas make a pretty spicy pair, and I was on board once they were more settled into a relationship.
( )