Out of Practice by Carsen Taite is a romance about whether a vacation fling can make it in real life.
Abby Keane is one of the three law firm partners we first met in Practice Makes Perfect. After busting her ass with Campbell and Grace to get the firm going, she’s off to Puerto Vallarta for a well-deserved vacation. Even better? She finds a sexy fellow vacationer named Roxanne and they have a super-hot fling until Roxanne has to leave three days later.
Abby lands back in Dallas, just in time for a crisis to fall in her lap. A client has closed the doors on its bridal store chain business, leaving brides in the lurch and protesting outside their stores. So much for paradise…
Roxanne’s bridal blog has taken off and she’s delighted to be offered a regular spot on TV when she gets back to Dallas. She’s in for a major shock when her reporting about the Barclay’s Bridal fiasco brings her back in contact with Abby. Because Abby? Has definitely been on Roxanne’s mind.
The Characters
Roxanne and Abby are similar in the sense that they’re both driven in their careers and are incredibly ethical. However, Out of Practice has a strong opposites-attract element because of their approach to relationships.
After watching her mother march down the aisle several times, Abby doesn’t think marriage or a happily ever after is in the cards for her. Roxanne, on the other hand, is a die-hard romantic and absolutely wants that HEA.
Given that this is a romance novel and, therefore, requires a happy ending, Abby goes through some pretty big changes in perspective. I enjoyed seeing how Abby and Roxanne deal with that and found their ending to be totally satisfying.
The Writing Style
Carsen Taite is the only romantic suspense author I read religiously, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard she was doing a contemporary trilogy. And friends, this one is excellent! If you read my review for Practice Makes Perfect, you know I had a couple of niggles with that book. That was not at all the case this time.
Out of Practice is a perfect beach read because it’s sexy and breezy. There’s something effortless about Abby and Roxanne’s relationship, even with its occasional challenges, and I loved that I never doubted that they were right for each other.
The Narration
Paige McKinney did a fine job with this book. However, like in some others that she’s narrated, I didn’t find any of the characters sounded particularly different from each other.
I actually didn’t listen to all of it, though. I got so into the story that, even while listening to it at 1.25x speed, I had to drop the audio and finish it on my Kindle for the last quarter. I was too impatient to see how it ends!
The Pros
Everything worked for me.
The Cons
Nothing!
The Conclusion
If you’re looking for a fun and breezy contemporary romance, I recommend Out of Practice. It was a great escape from the world and I can’t wait to read Grace’s story.
Excerpt from Out of Practice by Carsen Taite
Roxanne scanned the area. “Did the resort give you any ideas about what kind of vehicle to look for?”
Abby shook her head. “I was expecting someone with my name on a placard, but other than that, I’m clueless.” She felt her face redden at her lack of detail, and she rushed to add, “I picked the place, but I didn’t do the actual booking.” She wasn’t used to not having all the answers, and now she felt a little silly for leaving all the arrangements to Graham.
Roxanne contemplated her for a moment. “Did your booker give you any paperwork?” At Abby’s nod, she held out a hand. “Let’s see it.”
Abby extracted her phone from her pocket, pulled up the detailed email from Graham, and handed it over. She watched while Roxanne skimmed the screen and scrolled through the rest of the email. When she looked back up, she was grinning again.
“What is it? Did I miss the bus? Did I pick the absolute worst resort? I did a lot of research on this, but you know how the internet is.”
Roxanne handed her phone back to her. “I hope you picked a good one because I’m headed there too.”
Abby blinked, unsure if she’d heard Roxanne correctly. “You’re staying at the Azure. With me?” She felt the heat in her face again. “Well, obviously, not with me, but…”
“Yep. We’re both headed to the same place. How about we find our van together?”
“That sounds like a perfect plan.” Abby immediately started rearranging all her preconceived notions about her plans for this trip. Reading books and magazines, sunbathing with her AirPods in, listening to the podcasts she’d downloaded—all in perfect solitude. The allure of having Roxanne at the same resort made the idea of solitude a tad less appealing. She watched Roxanne scan the waiting drivers for their van, and admired her toned physique and easy confidence. The attraction was immediate and strong. She’d like to spend more time with this woman, solitude be damned.
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Series
Legal Affairs
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-1635553598
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Narrator: Paige McKinney
Carsen Taite Online
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