Untouchable

Hmm. Not a 5 star read like the first book in the series for me. I think the biggest issue is that Hannah's struggle and issues didn't even make sense after a while. I don't know how to explain it. It just felt like we didn't get this sense of who she was in the last book and then we have a lot of stuff thrown at us about her depression, her sense of self, etc. and Nate though I loved him, was once again way too perfect to be true. It would have been more realistic if he struggled with getting involved with a woman again after losing his wife. There's also the added complication that the book threw in Zach and I now know is the third love interest in book 3 here and it was just way too many people.

"Untouchable" follows Hannah Kabbah. show more Hannah we know from the last book ended up doing something that cost her the ability to work with kids in the future. She's now floating through retail jobs she hates. When she loses it one day, she promptly quits and then realizes she's jobless again. When Hannah's boyfriend, Evan suggests that she may want to apply to be a nanny for Nate Davis (a guy that Hannah grew up with) and his two kids, she's reluctant, but not for the reasons he thinks. It seems Hannah has had a crush on Nate since they were kids due to him doing something that actually had me swoon a bit too. Hannah thinks about him sometimes, but thinks her crush is under control. Until she interviews and moves in with Nate and Hannah starts to think about him and he starts to think about her.

Hannah was a bit too stiff for me after a while. I think another reviewer said the dialogue was way too internal in this one and it really was. We just have to listen to how Hannah and Nate both feel instead of these two actually having a conversation (a real one) that would have cleared things up between them. It started to drive me crazy after a while. Also I liked the scenes with Nate's kids, but they barely felt in this one. For someone who was supposed to be a nanny, Hannah's main job seemed to be cleaning. I get she liked it, but it was just weird after a while. I wish the kids had been squeezed in more. Same issue with other characters in this one, the book just felt very solitary after a while.

We do get appearances by Ruth, Evan, Zach, and a new character called Rae. Evan actually got on my nerves in this one. He tried this whole speech about Hannah being family that made no sense since they barely know each other it seems and we saw his reactions to her in the last book.

The two sex scenes I think we get are really good, just felt a bit samey since I read the last book right before this. I just think I needed more time for the relationship to develop.

I do have to say though Nate cursing out the yummy mothers was the best scene ever and I howled with laughter. show less

This is me struggling to put my finger on it.
Let's get this out in the open: I feel really raw in the past few days. So heroes like Nate--perfect, sweet heroes who ask consent and struggle with a perceived power dynamic issue are what I need to soothe the burn. I liked the set up quite a lot. The Hades-looking Nate returning to town after being an emo-type outcast. He's a dad. And, honestly, this is where my enjoyment of the set up would normally falter: Hannah becomes the nanny. This is a plot point I really struggle with, but Talia Hibbert executes it well with a powerful heroine and a shared background.

But here's where some things fall apart for me. Most of the conflict is internal. that isn't always an issue, but Nate is so damn show more perfect it made his conflict and struggle a bit ugh. And Hannah struggles to be detached, yet in the end felt much more accessible. My major problem is the heroes. So damn perfect with these really imperfect and struggling women. The don't come across as real, even in their speeches, words, lack of fumbling. They almost don't even make mistakes. If they make mistakes, they offer this perfect apology. The two other heroes set up in this series are even perfect (Evan and Zach), automatically assuming Nate is completely in the wrong and has abused the situation. Which is perfect. Even more perfect given one is Nate's brother.

So you see, what development do these characters and does the relationship have other than falling headlong into love ?

I do believe Talia Hibbert is talented and fresh author-my reviews of the earlier books in this series make no secret of that. The wit is wonderful, the heroines are unapologetic. In fact, I think she took more time to explore intimacy in this one that I have felt were lacking a bit in her other two in a sense. This didn't feel as rushed--until it did. What I need to give her five stars is to see her trust her wonderful characters and writing enough to allow them to make mistakes and have flaw and realize we'll love them more for it. It's weird to say in so many many ways I think this exceeded A Girl Like Her, but I can't even come close to rating it the same. show less