If you’re in the mood for a madcap rom-com with a nice bit of sizzle, this might be the book for you. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Spencer’s books for the last couple of years. I’m always eager to pick up her newest offering as I’m pretty much guaranteed to have a smile on my face while I read it. And once again, Ms. Spencer delivers.

Still reeling from a very public divorce from her A-list actress wife and a viral review that made her question her career choice, best-selling author Whitney Ainsworth hasn’t written a word for over a year and is now making the rounds as a motivational speaker at conventions and other events. When her caustic and cougar-esque agent sets her up for a one-night stand to get her “back in the saddle”, Whit vacillates until she opens the door and finds the gorgeous and slightly bewildered woman who had been checking her out at the hotel bar. Segue to the next day when, to Whitney’s horror, she finds out that the Gabriela Talbot who kept her up to all hours morning, is also Brie on Books, the blogger who trashed her last novel and had come to the room for an interview. Mortified and jumping to all the wrong conclusions, she throws Brie out without a chance to get much of a word in edgewise. Despite the ignominious end to what seemed to be a pretty good night, both Whit and Brie’s paths continue to intersect (in the least-stalkery stalkering way) and the obvious chemistry and attraction grows.

Ms Spencer has a talent for writing sharp, fast-paced, humorous rom-coms that border (in a good way) on an all out farce. The situations she sets up for her characters are premised on coincidences that pile on each other in such a way that they lead to actions, reactions and miscommunications that will make you laugh out loud. As exaggerated as some of the situations or the massive leaps when characters jump to the wrong conclusion are, there’s enough foundation in the way that the events have been lined up and the way that the characters have been developed, that it works without making you roll your eyes. Her stories are clever, silly, fun, steamy and thoroughly enjoyable.

The characters, both lead and secondary, are smart-asses who excel in banter and come-backs, but are tempered with vulnerability and self-doubt so they don’t come across as complete asses – not an easy balance. Thanks to Brie rocking her world (and not just in the bedroom), Whitney makes an unscripted decision to embrace the mess of her life in her speaking tour and starts pulling herself out of the spiral she had been in. For Brie, Whit shakes her own sense of complacency and pushes her to make some changes. Told from both Whitney’s and Brie’s point of view, the reader is treated to some hilarious mental gymnastics on top of their interactions with each other, friends and family.

Although the books starts off with a night to remember, the action happens off the page so the initial spark of chemistry really starts with the back and forth of dialogue – giving the relationship a bit of depth. Don’t get me wrong – the physical chemistry is there, but there’s as much charge between the two when trading barbs while fully clothed as when they hit the sheets.

Give In To Me is a light hearted read that is sure to make you laugh.

Definitely Recommended