Hands On by Christina Crooks

Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: 11/16/10
How I got this book: Author requested review

Want to make Fate laugh? Try telling her who’s in charge.

Talented, down-on-her-luck puppeteer Ginnie Anderson’s life seems destined to fall down around her ears. Much like the rented bungalow that’s just collapsed in a heavy rainstorm, endangering her precious collection of marionettes.

Her livelihood in need of protection and repair, she can’t refuse her landlord’s offer of temporary shelter in his magnificent home. Under his roof, though, she finds her hard-won grasp on her independence slipping—and herself falling into his arms.

The hallmark of Harry Barrett’s business success: he never makes the same mistake twice, particularly when it comes to manipulative women. So why is Ginnie, who pulls strings for a living, like a siren’s song in his blood? It’s best to put temptation as far out of reach as possible.

Yet when Ginnie’s past threatens to destroy the life she’s built for herself, Harry must decide which is more important. Holding tight to his sense of self preservation, or letting go to capture Ginnie’s fragile heart—before it breaks into a thousand pieces.

Warning: Contains sizzling sex between a powerful hero who likes to be in control, and a heroine whose talented hands teach him the pleasure of giving up the reins.
*Blurb from Goodreads*.

Crooks creates a short romantic story featuring a hero scared to trust a woman, and a woman who wants nothing more than a commitment from the man who just can’t give it to her. The book starts with poor Ginnie, trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, who rents a house that takes all of five minutes and a strong windstorm to collapse in on her. When a stranger shows up and pulls her out at the last minute, she finds herself taken under his wing.

Harry is a reclusive business man, upset by a recent betrayal by the woman he thought he loved. His business took a hit, as did his personal self esteem. When he realizes that one of his rental properties is a run down POS, he runs in and rescues the odd girl living in the home. Harry’s attraction to Ginnie is instantaneous, and although he wants absolutely nothing to do with her, he can’t seem to pull away from her.

As Ginnie’s world continues to crash around her, Harry is there to help pick up the pieces, but will he be able to put his own heart on the line to save hers?

While I had some trouble getting into the story at first, it did pick up as it went on. Ginnie seemed somewhat helpless at the beginning of the story. There was just something about the character that made me think of her as a helpless little kitten: absolutely adorable but somewhat needy. I did think though, that throughout the story, Ginnie did do a little growing up. She seemed more willing to stick up to herself after a little boost and help from Harry.

Harry also didn’t click with me as a character, at all. While I felt bad for him for what he had to deal with in regards to his ex-fiance, he never really became real to me. I didn’t like that although he was drawn to Ginnie, and seemed to do right by her half the time, the other half of the time he was being a jerk, thinking like a jerk, and just unsure of himself.

I was extremely impressed with the amount of knowledge Crooks gave us about the world of puppeteering. I can only imagine the amount of research was involved, and I loved that Ginnie had an interesting hobby/career choice. It was obvious to me that Crooks must either really love, or have a strong dedication to showing the wonderful world of puppets, because that shown through the pages to me.

Although the characters lacked at times, I loved that the main focus of the story was Harry and Ginnie’s relationship. The ending was great as well, and I did find myself liking Harry when he finally allowed himself to fall for Ginnie, and how he went about proving it to her.


All in all, I give Hands On 3 out of 5 marionettes.