Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central)
4 stars

This is the time of year when I start looking for new romances to add to my summer reading bag – those books that accompany me to the beach, the pool or the blanket in the back yard.  I want books that are fast and fun, with likeable characters, entertaining storylines and plenty of laughs – books like How to Score.

Sammi Matthews needs a life makeover.  The good-hearted museum curator just doesn’t have it in her to say “no”, which is how she ended up with an oversized, rambunctious dog with a tanned leather fetish and a job with no responsibilities since the woman she was hired to replace changed her mind about retiring.  There’s the cute art deco house she’s sunk hundreds of dollars and hours into that she wants to buy but the owner wants to sell to someone who is going to demolish it.  And, there’s that little problem she has with injuring every man she dates.  She’s fast approaching the point where there won’t be any men left in Tulsa brave enough to date her!   After just one telephone counseling session with Life Coach, Luke Jones though, Sammi is sure that’s all going to change.

FBI Agent Chase Jones is a practical, by-the-book kind of guy.  Everything in his life is in order and on schedule.  His apartment is immaculate (the guy even folds his dirty laundry!), he leads with his head (not his heart) and he could never put up with the whiners that his “touchy-feely” younger brother, Luke, a former sports psychologist counsels in his telephone life coaching business.  While Luke would ask a male client, “how does that make you feel”, Chase would just tell the guy to “grow a pair”.  But when Luke witnesses a mob hit while doing a favor for Chase and is temporarily put into the witness protection program, it’s up to Chase (pretending to be Luke) to take over the counseling of Luke’s clients.   Chase has very specific requirements for his dream woman and Sammi doesn’t seem to meet any of them but he’s intrigued during their first phone session and can’t resist setting up a situation where he can get a look at her.  That first encounter leads to more and Chase soon finds himself in the somewhat awkward position of dating Sammi as himself while counseling her as his brother, Luke, a position that also offers much comedic potential of which Wells takes full advantage.  Chase knows he’ll have to fess up sooner or later but the more he sees Sammi, the more he likes her and the harder it becomes to tell her the truth.  Also, she’s still causing injuries to the men she dates, namely him, and Chase really believes he can help her get her life back on track, hopefully before he lands in the hospital…again.

This fast-paced, entertaining story reeled me in and kept me engrossed from start to finish.  With a likeable hero and heroine that I’d enjoy having as friends, it’s filled with sharp and witty dialogue, laugh-out-loud funny in places while sweetly tender in others.  The secondary characters add a rich layer to the overall story, especially Horace, the 44 y/o virgin, accordion-playing, wanna-be superhero rapper who lives under his mother’s thumb.  The sessions between Horace and Chase are wonderfully written and highlighted by Chase’s snarky, internal thoughts and Horace’s groan-worthy raps.

How to Score is like a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day – smooth, delicious and

fun.  It’s the perfect addition to your summer reading bag.

There’s still room for more books in my summer reading bag.  What are your “must read” summer selections?