Erected is the first book in Desiree Holt's new Erector Setseries.

Josh McMann first meets Vanessa "Ness" Bowen as she's shrieking in a restaurant parking lot that her brand new car has been stolen. Finding out it's been towed, Josh takes the woman to collect her car and on impulse, she invites him to dinner the following evening as a thank you. But that car is totaled as well, when a drunk driver plows into her on the way to the restaurant. Josh has always been considered a knight in shining armor. And with Ness, he's racking up points quickly. Two car accidents, a leg cast...and her scathing insults as she's not only suspicious of his motives, she's not used to a man taking care of her and is a bit unnerved by the attention. Both have trust issues from past bad relationship experiences. Can they move beyond their past and see compatibility in each other?

This story felt like a comedy of errors on various levels. Ness' multiple car accidents, missed dates, past relationship baggage, several apologies...all formed the backbone of this couple's relationship. I know that Ness had been hurt in the past with dates sleeping with her and then leaving, sometimes in the middle of the night, but she came across as shrewish and abrasive. She needed to really mature internally before attempting a relationship. On Josh's part, while he did get angry at her behavior, by and large, he was insanely patient with a woman he barely knew and just met. As it was a short story, the reader is unable to see Josh soften Ness's edges and truly, one hopes that happens. Because while I was rooting for Josh to get his HEA, I was likewise hoping he'd take Ness over his knee and wallop her for her snarky mouth. In the end, loose ends do tie up rather nicely. Not one of Ms. Holt's best works; I'll continue to read her because she's a fabulous writer and packs her stories with sexual heat and emotion.

Reviewed by: Bella