Jessie Adams, DJ, Bohemian, and fool for loving commitment-phobic musicians, decides to run for city council. This is not something Jessie would normally do, but her best friend Lisa's club is at stake when the current candidates all want to tear it—and half of her quiet little beachside town—down to make way for pricey condos. Her simple life suddenly gets complicated. Even more so when she runs into Detective Chuck Johnson, a hot cop she shares a hot night with, one night of soul-crushing intensity. Or so she thinks. But Chuck has other ideas. Their relationship is moving a little too fast for Jessie's comfort, whose head is already spinning from her launch into the local political arena. But she's glad for Chuck's constant company when strange and frightening things begin to happen to the council candidates—including her. But is it love at first sight? Or only the intensity of the situation? And why can't Chuck just slow down and give her a minute to think ?

What I love most about this book are the characters. They're real people, with depth, complicated thought processes, flaws. People I'd like to be friends with. For me, this is the key to pulling me into a story: making me care . And I did—enough to keep me turning the pages until well past midnight every night until I finished the book. The story is backed by an amusing, motley crew of secondary characters, the kind of people one does truly find in the small towns dotting the Southern California coast. And while the book is definitely funny, it's also emotionally evocative. Smooth writing finishes off an extremely well-crafted story that is full of humor, warmth, a little mystery, and even a little sex. Something for everyone!

4 ½ Kisses