Handle with Care

3.5 stars-energetic but frustrating

3.5 stars-- HANDLE WITH CARE is the first instalment in Nina Croft’s contemporary, adult SADDLER COVE erotic, romance series. This is twenty-six year old, mechanic and town bad boy Tanner O’Connor, and twenty-four year old, first grade teacher Emily Towson’s story line. There is also a secondary story line and relationship developing between Emily’s grandmother Mimi, and Tanner’s friend Joshua Simpson

Told from several third person perspectives including Emily, Tanner, Mimi and Josh HANDLE WITH CARE follows the building relationship between twenty-six year old, town bad boy Tanner O’Connor, and twenty-four year old, first grade teacher Emily Towson. Tanner O’Connor is Saddler Cove resident bad boy. Having spent two years in prison for the death of his childhood friend, the small-minded and judgemental residents of Saddler Cove are still having a difficult time with Tanner’s return to their quiet, little town, six years later, believing his bad boy attitude will affect all who come in contact. Enter Emily Towson, Tanner’s high school crush, and the woman with whom Tanner will fall in love. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Emily and Tanner, and the potential fall-out as a ‘morals clause’ in Emily’s teaching contract comes into question when the town’s newest primary school teachers is pregnant by Saddler Cove resident bad boy.

Emily Towson cannot believe she seduced Tanner O’Connor on the heels of her breakup with Ryan Forrester. Being called ‘sensible’ sent Emily over the edge into the arms of Tanner O’Connor, arms that felt right for our story line heroine. But an unplanned pregnancy meant sweet, innocent, sensible and goody-two-shoes Emily Towson was in violation of her teacher’s contract, a violation that threatened everything she had worked for including her relationship with the man with whom she was falling in love. Tanner O’Connor served his time for a crime he did not commit in order to protect his one-time best friend but the people of Saddler Cove had long memories including the time when Tanner’s own father once wore the moniker of resident bad boy. Like father, like son, Tanner’s reputation had a snowball affect especially as Tanner believed the self-fulfilling prophecy as a life-long screw up, and it didn’t help matters that Emily often sat in judgement of the man, herself.

The relationship between Tanner and Emily is tempestuous at best as both have issues of low self-esteem. Emily has a difficult time looking past Tanner’s tattooed and bad boy image, an image that is greatly affecting her own standing in a town filled with judgemental people. Tanner believes himself unworthy of love, especially from a woman as sweet and ‘sensible’ as Emily Towson. The back and forth, yin and yang, accusatory and emotional highs and lows between our leading couple were frustrating and childish; immature and heart breaking. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is another ‘forbidden’ relationship developing on the side between Emily’s seventy-year old grandmother Mimi, and Tanner’s former prison cell mate, sixty-eight year old Joshua Simpson. Joshua, a man of color and a Vietnam veteran, served forty years for killing a white man, a prison sentence that does not go unnoticed by the people of Saddlers Cove. Determined to make something of himself, Josh begins working for the O’Connor brothers, work that is threatened by the bigotry and rumors around his time spent in prison.

We are introduced to Tanner’s brothers Reese and Aiden, as well as Reese’s six year old daughter Keira: Emily’s seventy-year old grandmother Mimi, and Tanner’s former prison cell mate, sixty-eight year old Joshua Simpson; Emily’s ex boyfriend Ryan Forrester; Tanner’s one-time friend Sawyer Dean and Sawyer’s wife Lanie. There is also a large assortment of bigots, gossips and townspeople who are refusing to let Tanner move on with his life, including Jed Forrester, Ryan’s uncle, and a man who spearheads much of Tanner and Emily’s on-going troubles.

HANDLE WITH CARE is a frustrating read; an emotional story about betrayal and discrimination; about issues of low self esteem, and self fulfilling prophecy; of redemption, acceptance and falling in love. The premise is energetic ; the characters are spirited but wounded; the romance struggles in the face of preconceived notions, self doubt and the narrow-minded, judgemental people whose intent is to ensure there is no upset to their clouded balance.