As you may have noticed, I've been mainlining Susan Elizabeth Phillips like some crazed smut fiend all summer. Ironically, I started them to fill the time before the next Shannon Stacey book came out. I LOVED the first 3 Kowalski books (Kevin Kowalski, you had me at hello). When I found out Mitch's book was coming out, I preordered it and and even took a nap (a nap!) yesterday so I'd be nice and rested when the book apparated on my Kindle around midnight. 
 Like the other Kowalski boys, Mitch Kowalski is tall, dark, and FOINE. He's a demolition expert, aka manly man who blows shit up for a living. He travels all over the country for his work and hasn't been back to his tiny hometown in 3 years. Paige Sullivan moved into town 2 years ago, bought the diner, and turned it into a staple in the community. She's been celibate during that time so she could focus on her business and not turn into her man-obsessed mother. Mitch meets Paige, sparks fly, and he's determined to end her celibacy for the brief time he's in town. 
 So. A few things. 
 One. Something called a fried bologna sandwich plays a role. Just when I think something that disgusting can't exist in real life, they add mayo to it. MAYO! Mayonnaise is so gross that I'll say "NO MAYO" to things just in case. Spaghetti bolognese please, NO MAYO. I'm not saying it's evil or anything, but I truly believe if mayonnaise didn't exist neither would weapons of mass destruction. So yeah, making me vomit is definitely one of my Oh-No-Nos when reading a romance. 
 Two. Paige goes from brunette in Chapter 1 (and I'm assuming 2-3) to blonde in Chapter 4. ?Que? Oh-No-No. 
 Three. MAYO. 
 Four. This one felt a little too instalovey without the push-pull, swoontastic tension of the original three books. Also, when a guy or a girl repeatedly says he/she doesn't want a relationship with the dating history to back it up, I expect them to not want a relationship. Like, I don't think George Clooney is unmarried because he just hasn't met The One who can make the perfect sandwich, you know? I needed a little more to be convinced by Mitch and Paige. 
 However, I still liked this and I think Stacey did a great job at setting the scene for the next two books. I wondered if mainlining SEP altered my taste a little. Did it feel flat because it was or because nothing wacky happened? I read Stacey's novella Slow Summer Kisses before my SEPathon and really, really liked it. I'll test my theory next month when All He Ever Desired comes out, which I'll definitely preorder.