Review: Feisty (Do Over Series #3) by Julia Kent

Title: Feisty

         Do-Over Series 3

Author: Julia Kent

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Published By: Prosaic Publishing

Category: Contemporary – Romance – Comedy

Type: Digital – Paperback – Audio

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Julia Kent Website

Blurb: 

I'm not too proud to admit that finding Mr. Right involves swiping right. Right? Welcome to dating in avocado toastland.

Here I am, on my first blind date, ever, courtesy of a smartphone app and my two annoying best friends.

So what is Chris "Fletch" Fletcher doing, walking across the room, looking at his phone like he's pattern matching a picture to find a real person he's never met before?

Oh.

Oh, no.

The guy I drop-kicked in seventh grade cannot be my blind date. The guy who earned me this infernal nickname.

That's right.

Feisty.
--

More from New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent as Fiona "Feisty" Gaskill gets her chance at love - drop-kick included.

 By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Lines:

Anyone in the wedding business has to prepare for all things dramatic. It’s like preschool, only you don’t have the benefit of nap time. On the other hand, you have mimosas.  ~  Fiona

“If we’re on a date, which is a noun, it doesn’t mean we suddenly take it all the way to dating, which is a verb. We haven’t made the leap to verbing. We’re still in the noun stage.”  ~  Fiona

Excerpt:

          “FIONA!”someone calls out. “Brad Johnson, NECN. Were you injured in the attack? Is it true the assailant had a gun? Do you have martial arts training? We have questions, Ms. Gaskill!”
          I look over to see flashes, cameras popping, people with video equipment crowding around the front door as police lights outside blind me, turning into a purple haze. 
          “Hey,”Fletch says softly, drawing my eyes to him, turning my focus to something sharper. He's all I see now, the cacophony behind him just a buzz. “Come here.”Shielding me from the worst of the media circus that's taken over our parking lot, he curls me into him, becoming my shell, giving me his heat, his peace, his energy. 
          I let him. 
          I've received so much today, why not a little more? 
          “Is it true you're specially trained for this?”someone shouts from the media horde. “You're a ninja nursery school teacher!”
          “Oh, God,”I groan. 
          He glares in the general direction of the cameras. “The police want to interview you. I think you need to go to the hospital first.”He's not hugging me. We're not intertwined. He's just there, a solid wall between me and the cameras. 
          Between me and the world. 
          “Michelle says everyone's okay. The kids are okay? Tell me they're okay. Why am I saying the word okay all the time? Is that okay?”I ask, my mouth apparently detached from my brain. 
           “Shhhhhhh.”Lips barely moving, he keeps his eyes on mine, watching me with his chin down, eyes up, as if he's ready to restart my heart at any minute. 
          “I'm fine.”
          “You're anything but fine.”
          “Hey! I'm great in an emergency. I'm fine.”
          “You're damn great in an emergency. That still doesn't make you fine.”
          “But–”
          “Thank you.”
          “For what?”
          “For keeping Mattie safe.”His emphasis on the last word makes my knees buckle as the reality of what I did sinks in. The kids weren't safe. Hearing Fletch acknowledge that makes my stomach melt into my toes. 
          “Fiona? Fi? Feisty?”
          “Don't call me...”My voice winds down as I pitch forward into his arms. 
          It's the last thing I remember until I wake up to find my body on a stretcher, a warm blanket on me, and the sight of Fletch, whose expression makes it clear he's overwhelmed with gratitude. 
          And pissed as hell as he bounces up and down, leaning suddenly to the left. 
          “They were supposed to back off,”he mutters as the ground beneath me lurches to the right. I realize we’re in an ambulance. 
          A moving ambulance. 
          “They?”
          “The media.”
          I nod. “How long was I out?”
          “A few minutes. We're getting you to the hospital now.”
          “Hospital? I don't need–”
          “You're getting evaluated. Your blood pressure is low and you experienced syncope twice. That's enough for a doc to take a look at you. You got someone I need to contact?”
          “Huh?”
          “Boyfriend? Husband?”
          “You know I don't have either! We're in Mallory's wedding together. If I had one of those, I'd bring him!”
          “It's a formality. For the paperwork.”His amused side eye doesn't help matters. “And good to know you're back.”
          “Back?”
          “Back to being Feisty.”
          I kick him. He's just out of range, unfortunately, so my foot goes into dead air. 
          “Careful. Those things are lethal.”He grabs my slippered foot, hand so warm, the grasp full of a caring possession so different from what Rico Lingoni just did to me. 
          “I didn't kill him.”I move my hand so it's under the white blanket, the warmth very welcome. “Even if I wanted to.”
          Eyes flashing with emotion, Fletch leans toward me. “I wouldn't have blamed you if you had.”
          “I used the least necessary force.”
          “That takes skill. Composure. Deep awareness.”
          “Yes.”
          “And compassion.”
          “Compassion? I pressed my entire weight into his neck.”
          “But you didn't break it. See? Compassion.”
          My laughter makes me feel guilty. 
          The ambulance slows at the exact moment that a rush of energy infuses me. Closing my eyes, I touch it, drawing on my higher self, my wiser mind, to help me during this time. I need the positive power of the universe to support me. 
          Feed me. 
          Take care of me. 
          “You okay?”Fletch asks, his voice filled with concern. 
          I open my eyes. “Yes.”I'm trying to catch the essence of my core self. His sexy forearms aren't helping. I close my eyes. 
          “What are you doing? Meditating?”This time, his voice is curious, not concerned, but I still don't open my eyes. 
          “Something like that.”Trying to explain my energy healer, Jolene, to a guy like Fletch is just begging for teasing. 
          “I meditate,” he says. 
          My eyes fly wide open. “You do?”Through the small windows in the ambulance doors, I catch a glimpse of a large sign, glowing white and red, that indicates we've arrived at the emergency room. I'm suddenly embarrassed to be brought in via ambulance. 
          “Sure. Lots of people do. Helps keep me focused at my gym.”The ambulance stops. “And here.”
          “I'd imagine being a paramedic requires a lot of grounding.”
          Pain flashes through his eyes like a flipbook. “Yeah.”He closes himself off, all professional composure. “Look, I'm still working my shift. This is where we part.”
          “My phone!”I gasp. “My purse! Where are they?”
          He reaches behind him. “Here.”He hands me my purse. “I already called Mallory and Perky.”
          “You what?”
          “Mallory insisted we all have each other's numbers because of the wedding. Remember? Something about the wedding party needing to be able to contact each other in an emergency. This counts,” he says with a grimace. “And Perky's still in town.”One side of his mouth goes up. “We have that dance lesson tonight.”
          My composure disappears. “I don't think I'll be making that.”
          “No kidding. Me, either. After my shift, I'm spending my time with Mattie and Candi.”He grabs my hand, the feeling white-hot lightning. “You did a good thing.”
          “Did I?”A shiver ripples through me as the danger sinks in. 
          And then I just tremble, unable to control it, my abs tightening without end. 
          “Of course! All those kids, Feisty–”
          “You know my name is Fiona,”I bite. 
          “Yeah. I know. But damned if you didn't turn into the girl who kicked my ass in seventh grade. Rico got what he deserved. And you deserve a goddamned medal.”
          The back of my hand buzzes as he kisses it, so soft and gentle, it's almost not there. 
          And then his arms are wrapped around me, his lips on my ear as he whispers, “Thank you.”
          The back doors of the ambulance slam open just as he pulls back and grabs a chart, reciting my vitals as if the last thirty seconds didn't happen. 
          Now I'm trembling for completely different reasons.

Highlight:

          “Can we talk in private?” he asks. 
          “Why? Afraid of being called out in public?”
          “No, but you're about to get a bunch of cellphones pulled out. You really want more recordings of you floating around on the internet?”
          I spin on my heel and move to the hallway in what I think is the direction of the bathrooms. Paleo2Clean is new to me, but before this incarnation, it was a soup restaurant, and before that, a froyo place. 
          Yep. Guessed right. High chairs and bathrooms. 
          “Look, Fletch,” I say, grabbing his arm hard. “Until our reunion last year, I hadn't seen you in forever. And when Mal and Will chose us both to be in their wedding, I wasn't happy, but I plastered on a fake smile because that's what you do when your friends are getting married and you used to hate one of the groomsmen.”
          “Hate?”A smile tickles his lips, his amusement infuriating me more than any other response he could possibly have. “You,” he says, looking at my hand on his skin, taking a step closer into my space, “hate me?”
          “No. I said I used to hate you. Before I worked on evolving and being a better human being.”
          “How, exactly, have you done that?”
          “By increasing my vibration.”
          “You are a better person because you use vibrators?”
          “Who said anything about sex toys?”
          “You did. Just now.”
          “No, I didn't! I said vibrations!”
          “What's the difference?”
          “Enlightenment!”
          “Pretty sure enlightenment comes from enough orgasms, too, Fiona.”
          An espresso machine hisses in the distance, cutting through the sound of our matched breath. He's inches from me, heat pulsing off his rock-hard body, the close-fitting black cloth of his shirt rippling only because of curved muscle. My hand on his arm feels like heat itself, our bodies some sort of element that conducts energy on a wavelength science hasn't discovered yet. 
          And I'm wet, wanting, and so, so confused. 
          “Why are you turning this conversation into a sex talk?”I finally choke out, pulling back as he leans in. 
          “You started it,” he replies, the smile fading, replaced by something intensely seductive. He bites his lower lip for a moment, looking at me. Then, in a whisper that makes me lean in to hear, he adds, “Maybe you wouldn't hate me so much if I helped you with those vibrations.”
          Is that an offer? I almost ask, before I mentally smack myself. 
          “I am not having this conversation with you,” I say tightly. 
          Releasing me, he takes a distinct step back, still deeply amused. “Fine. But hate? You hate me?”
          “You gave me that horrible nickname.”
          “That was seventeen years ago. You're carrying around resentment from seventh grade? Can't be that evolved, can you? I really think you need more work on the vibrations, Fiona,”he says with a wink before turning toward the dining room. “Might make you less uptight about me.”
          I am speechless. 
          I am agog. 
          And I am fuming. 
          Angry in all the wrong parts of my body, and hot in all the right ones. 
          Using the opportunity to get my act together, I go to the bathroom and take my sweet time. It's a single stall, the kind with a pedestal sink, a filthy mirror, and a toilet that won't allow you to flush anything thicker than a spider web. As my body cools off, my temper sure doesn't. 
          Why am I letting Chris Fletcher get to me like this? 
          Tap tap tap 
          “Fi? You okay?”It's Perky. 
          “I'm fine. Just finishing up,” I lie as I turn on the faucet and wash my hands. 
          “He's gone. Coast is clear.”
          “Who's gone?”
           “Fletch.”
          “Why would I care if he's gone?”
          “Because he walked out of the hallway with a shit-eating grin on his face and I figured you were a puddle of boneless goo from some hot bathroom boning.”
          “BATHROOM BONING?”I screech, then clamp my wet hands over my mouth. Who am I? What am I saying? 
          “I wouldn't blame you. Have you taken a look at those arms? Dang. Now I miss Parker,”she whimpers through the door. 
          Ripping three too-short pieces of paper towel off the automated dispenser, I finally dry my hands and mouth, opening the door to find Perky standing there, her shirt unbuttoned to below her bra line, strategically angling her camera to take a picture of her cleavage. 
          “I'd have thought you'd learned your lesson about sexy selfies by now,”I lecture her, grabbing the phone and taking a picture of a high chair, hitting the up arrow to send the pic. 
          “OH MY GOD, FI! NO!”
          “Serves you right.”
          “But Fi! Before you sent that, I texted him the words Ready for this, Parker? Now he thinks I want a baby! We're not even married!”
          Bzzz 
          “Shhhh!”Mallory appears, finger over her pursed lips. “We can hear you out there, Perky! What's wrong?”
          “I can't look!”Perk screeches, covering her eyes, flinging the phone at me. 
          “It's an email shipping confirmation from ItAlwaysFits for some kind of device called a–”
          She snatches the phone back. “Never mind.”
          Mal plucks it out of her hands and taps the screen. She gasps. 
          “You bought a dildo with Parker's head on the end? His actual–”Squinting, she spreads the image on the screen with her pinched fingers. “His actual head?”
          “That's right. I shrinky-dinked a sitting member of Congress and attached his still-pulsing head to a sex toy. You wouldn't believe the blood cleanup. Come on, Mallory.”
          “I wouldn't put it past you.”
          “Give that back!”She shuts the phone off and shoves it in her pocket. Huffing. “Besides, it's not like I'm the first one. Turns out they had five others. Parker has a personalized dildo groupie club. The customer service person was a little too forthcoming about that.”
          
          “Why?”Mal groans. “Because it's cute! And they follow Fair Trade practices.”Perky turns to Mal with mischief in her eye. “That might make a good bachelorette party gift for you.”
          “The only dick I want attached to Will's head is his real one.”
          “That... sounds like something from a horror movie.”
          “You know what I mean!”
          “Easy to be smug when you don't have a long-distance relationship.”
          “You don't have a long-distance relationship anymore! You're about to move to Texas!”
          Perky waves her hand dismissively as she wanders off to the dessert case. 
          “At least you both have regular sex,”I groan as we head back to the table. Fletch and his group are gone, our server washing off their table. 
          Speaking of sex...

Review: 

Fiona (Feisty) – A nickname she has been saddled with since middle school when Fletch tried to kiss her. Ugh! She hates it. She’s tried to embrace all things in fierce opposition to that particular word, creating a life of peace and balance. Except feisty is a part of her and when she needs to draw from it, said personality manifests in spades. Hence the parent she took down at the preschool who was a danger to herself, her students, and her staff. Knowing she had no other choice but to protect, feisty rose again. Roaring while standing on the back of the offending parent, in fact. Feist strikes again and creates so much drama both good and bad. Most poignant is the ridiculous attraction between herself and Fletch, whose brother-in-law tried to go postal on her classroom. Now she’s in the midst of a bit of an identity crisis. She’s fought her feisty persona for so long and refuses to concede to that side of her as necessary in any capacity. But the more time she spends with Fletch, the more she begins to question herself. And the more confusion her relationship with Fletch causes, the more she determines to pull away. But Fletch isn’t having it. Fiona has to make a decision. Embrace who she is - all parts of herself – and take a chance on love with him – or continue to live in miserable denial.

Chris (Fletch) – has wanted Fiona since their school years. When he tried to make a move in their tween years, she laid him out flat. He never tried it again, and the incident actually makes an unexpected impression Fletch, ultimately impacting who he grew up to be. Fiona, of course, has no idea and if Chris is going to get anywhere with her, he’s going to have to come clean. Sure, she’s Feisty – but she’s so much more and she refuses to see it. Reunited through an upcoming wedding, he’s now spending a lot more time with her because his nephew is one of her students. He’s also the rescuing EMT and her long-time nemesis. But the more time he manages to carve out with her, the better chance he has to convince her to give him a shot. He’s confident that they could be something fantastic together, but Fiona is going to need a lot more convincing. And even though Chris is waging a full out war in seduction, just being the seemingly perfect human being that he is seems to be working in his favor as well. Of course being a hot, buff, EMT might have just a smidge to do with it as well. He’ll take what he can get from Fiona for now, treading carefully around those consuming emotions she refuses to analyze. If he’s patient, with time, she’ll be the one making the move toward their future.

I went back and forth a couple of times with this book. Initially, I was completely enthralled with the prologue. I mean who wouldn’t be caught up with such an opening? Things progressed well initially, but after a while I began to think Fiona was a bit too quirky, a bit too odd in behavior and mannerisms, and a bit too new-age for me to be able to like her, much less form any type of reader-character attachment. However, I have read Ms. Kent in the past and adored her stories, so I hung in there, hoping my opinion would be altered. And man am I glad that I did! But first, let’s unpack what I felt was a bit over the top … Fiona possesses an uncanny ability to produce a parking spot wherever she goes using a divining rod. I bit odd, yes. But no big deal. She is also heavily into auras, chakras, and energy. Be one with the earth and all that. So the odd factor goes up a bit for me personally. Then she absolutely refuses to acknowledge her feisty side as part of herself, which was off given her beliefs. You wouldn’t fight your inner self, you would harness the energy and draw from it when needed. Wouldn’t you? I just thought it all a bit over the top. It doesn’t sound like much now, but when you are reading it, it’s quite intense. She even goes to a woman who she looks to for guidance. Jolene, I think it was. And even she tries to tell Fiona what she needs to do, just like Fletch ultimately does. However, once I came to understand that she wasn’t actually trying to avoid certain behaviors but purge a fundamental piece of herself out of existence, much more became clear and didn’t seem all that odd any longer. Fiona is so stuck in who she doesn’t want to be that she loses sight of who she is and who is standing in front of her – has always been standing right. In. Front. Of. Her.

Oddities aside, I began to really enjoy this book. Fletch is the quintessential example of the perfect guy. He’s got it all and I do mean all! His patience with Fiona is almost too sweet, but ultimately his depth of emotion for her leads her to introspection. She opens herself to new experiences, discovers and embraces who she really is, and even opens her heart to Fetch. Woven throughout the heavy and cajoling is a ton of comedy, adding a wonderful amount of humor to the story. Beneath all of the comedy is a beautiful love story born of risk and the willingness to take a chance; or second chance as the case may have been. Probably the most comical scene involved a bear, a lot of beer, drunkenness, and a whole lot of pee. And that’s all I will say about that. You want to know, you will have to find out yourself. And that isn’t the only hilarious scene. This book is packed with several instances of “foot meet mouth”. You’ll be chuckling quite a bit while reading through this book. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the ratio theory and have every intention of trying peanut butter in my tacos the next chance I get. Don’t ask. Just read the book. The sensual scenes are few and nothing too risqué, but somewhat descriptive, none-the-less. Now I will say that this book is a part of a series and is third in line. Besides being ridiculously aggravated with myself for not realizing I had the previous book and could have read that one first, I do not believe that reading in order is a must do. Sure, it would have been nice to read about the previous couples, but in no way did I feel like I was missing anything simply from reading out of order. While I have yet to look into the previous installments, I did get a glimpse into the succeeding book and am quite curious as to how that will work out given the strange personality of Hasty. Although I believe, from what little I know, that her nickname is beyond appropriate. To wrap this up, I recommend this book to anyone wanting a heart-felt journey of self-discovery, inspiring love, a quirky cast of characters including a female lead that may be just a smidge over the top, a male lead that is perfect in every way, and humor that will keep you laughing long after you’ve read the story.

Kindle version provided by Expresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review.