Of the many romances I read, few of them are contemporaries because I get so bored with either the espionage storyline or the poor girl-rich guy storyline. However, No Matter What by Erin Nichols had a plot that was different enough from the norm to be interesting and a romance that average people can relate to and is believable.
Adam Steele hires Jordan Monroe to be the personal PT for his 14 yr-old daughter, Emily. Jordan is the top PT in the state and Adam hopes that she can finally get his daughter up and moving again. In exchange for her help, Jordan has requested no pay but instead for Adam to provide the remaining $1 million that her hospital needs to finish construction on a new rehab wing. Adam and Jordan butt heads over Emily's rehab; Adam is pushing for Jordan to make Emily meet progress milestones set by him whereas Jordan is pushing Adam to recognize that PT is more than just getting muscles working again.
What I really enjoyed about this story is that Adam's money and lifestyle isn't made central to the plot line. The focus is solely on the hero and heroine learning to work together to make a child's life better. The romance is also refreshing; there's no gratuitous wining and dining of the heroine by the hero. He very clearly sees her as an independent successful woman, and she sees him as a man who deeply cares for his daughter. Their romance is play out more like normal couples: over conversation and inadvertent and purposeful physical contact.
I recommend this book for readers who are seeking a story that chooses to focus on the characters and the romance vs solving a mystery or sex. Contrary to what the synopsis that's available on Amazon seems to imply, this book is not erotica or erotic romance.
