[BOOK REVIEW] Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Title:  Smooth Talking Stranger

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Year Published: 2009

Number of Pages: 372 pages

Date Read: 9/21/2012

Series: Travises #3

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Strong Language and Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Okay!  Now, I am officially a huge fan of Lisa Kleypas’ contemporary romance series!  I have always read Lisa Kleypas’ historical romance series mainly the “Wallflower” series, but her “Travises” series has really climbed its way to my top contemporary romance list and the third book (Jack Travis’ book) “Smooth Talking Stranger” has really made me fall in love with the contemporary romance genre!  With nothing but sensual sensations, drama and discovering true love in the plot, “Smooth Talking Stranger” is definitely one romance novel you cannot miss!

When Ella Varner discovers that her sister Tara left behind a baby named Luke on her doorsteps, Ella tries to find out who the father of Tara’s baby is and the first person she suspects is none other than Jack Travis!  But when Jack Travis claims that the baby is not his, Ella will soon discover a sexual attraction to this rich man that she had never felt with any other man before!

Wow…just wow!  Everything about this book was just so fantastic and heartwarming at the same time!  Lisa Kleypas had really made me feel emotion for every character in this book (well, maybe except for Ella’s mother and Tara a little bit since they made Ella’s life miserable) and I just loved the way that Lisa Kleypas handled each character’s story in this book!  My favorite characters in this entire book were Ella Varner and Jack Travis as they were a truly cute couple and they truly supported each other throughout this entire book.  Ella Varner was a truly remarkable heroine in this story, as she had to contend with so many traumas in her life such as being forced to take care of her sister’s baby, Luke, when Tara was incapable of taking care of him herself and dealing with her mother’s constant insults at her.  However, I loved the fact that Ella still tried to do the best she can in her life and how she still remains optimistic about her life.  The only thing that slightly annoyed me about Ella’s character is that she kept distancing herself from Jack at the beginning.  I understand that it was because she was in a relationship with Dane at first and she had trauma in her childhood that caused her to fear love, but sometimes throughout the book, I was urging Ella to just accept Jack since it was obvious that Jack truly cared about her.  Now, onto the best character in this entire book Jack Travis!  I just loved Jack Travis to death as he is shown to be an extremely sympathetic character who tries to help Ella Varner out any way he can and I also loved the way that he truly cared about Luke, despite the fact that Luke is not really his baby.  The only problem I have with Jack’s character in this book is that we do not really get his viewpoint on the situation and I would have really loved to hear what Jack thinks about Ella’s situation on a personal level.  I really enjoyed seeing the rest of the Travis family again, especially Haven and Hardy, as their book “Blue-Eyed Devil” was a massive hit with me and it was great seeing how they are doing!  I also loved the fact that Jack Travis is one muscular, large and sexy guy (a fact that Ella has alerted the audience many times) and I just melted every time I envisioned his strong body!

For anyone who does not like strong language in a book, this book has many crude words such as dropping the “f” bomb a couple of times and it would be best to skim over these worlds if they are upsetting.  Also, there are many sex scenes in this novel between the two lead characters, so those are also some scenes you could skim over if they are uncomfortable to read through.

Overall, “Smooth Talking Stranger” is easily the most poignant and sensual story out of the entire “Travises” series that every Lisa Kleypas fan just have to check out right away!