It took me months to finish "The Bachelor" so I am really unsure as to why I thought "The Playboy" would be easier to read. The plot, although plausible, gets off to a wham bam start with meddling mothers, psychotic women chasing the hero, instant lust, and Kmart quality clothing descriptions. Perhaps I am getting old (32 in August) or maybe just jaded, but I felt like I was reading a Sweet Valley High on Summer Break novel.
Rick Chandler, the hero, was the most mature person in the cast of characters which includes his brothers, mother, and heroine, Kendell Sutton. Rick's mother is continuing to meddle in her son's lives, scheme and plot her fake heart condition, and beat herself up with guilt (albeit never telling them the truth), to the point where the reader wants to shake her hard and scream "Get a Life!"
Furthermore, the heroine is a little to quick to jump into spandex and Rick's sheets to be taken as seriously. Instant flames are great, and quick love scenes normally don't bother me, but the lack of emotional depth in the character makes it hard to believe that she can feel anything very deeply, other than maybe her tan lines. Her emotional immaturity and trashy mannerisms culminate in a confrotation near the end of the novel. Not all women are jealously possessive enough to pick fights; I kept wainting for the hair pulling to begin.
A trilogy is a great way to hook a reader. Look at Nora Roberts, she has it down to an art; however, this one seems to be the Jerry Springer version. It keeps the reader hooked the train wreck way - wondering "How much worse can it get?