When Eva's husband died of cancer after eight years of marriage, she learned that her marriage was not what it seemed. On top of learning her husband was a cheater, Eva also learned that he was a terrible money manager who made bad investments with the household money as well as the money of his clients. So, in the aftermath of his death, Eva is left to raise her son and put her life back together. Without a Net begins with a collision between Eva, Max and a wayward shopping cart. Max, an ER doctor who loves excitement, lost a battle with a tree while skiing. He also happens to be the older brother of her best friend Nina. Author Jill Blake did a good job of showing the attraction between Max and Eva right from the start, but she did it without being obvious. Their initial banter is witty with just a hint of flirtation, making you want to continue reading just to get to the good stuff.It would have been very easy for Jill Blake to turn Without a Net into a sad story about a woman unable to move on, and Eva would have been justified. Instead, she gives us a wonderful story about characters who have had pain. Eva's husband confesses on his deathbed, leaving her no opportunity to fully process and express her emotions about his life as a serial cheater, which left her feeling as though almost a decade of her life was a lie. That plays a large role in her relationship with Max because there are no guarantees in life. But a guy that loves adventure (and women) as much as he does will require her to protect her heart fiercely. Max is amazing and trying not to love him was as entertaining as watching Eva succumb!

I enjoyed Jill Blake's style of writing. It's easy and flows naturally like "real" conversation between friends and family. And, she sure knows how to write some steamy sex scenes! A couple of times I thought, "Now why don't these people just simply say what's on their minds? Have an honest conversation about what they want?" But of course that wouldn't make for compelling reading. We were made to wait for a resolution to both Max's and Eva's relationship baggage, while we rooted for a happy ending. I liked that Eva was the hold-out--I foudn this to be refreshing since it's usually the male character that is having relationship issues.

I loved, loved, loved the fact that Jill Blake was able to interject some fantastic marketing advice for indie authors--a subject near and dear to my heart. It's very apparent that she knows what she's talking about!

I would definitely recommend Without a Net to readers. I'm looking forward to reading her follow-up books!