Under Your Skin

May 16, 2016
In the middling first entry in Schroeder’s For Your Love series, 22-year-old Norah O’Malley is pregnant and back home in Chicago after 10 years away. Although she still hasn’t told her ex-boyfriend that she’s pregnant, she’s immediately attracted to someone new: Kai, a quiet but strong ex-con who owns a tattoo shop. Kai tries to deflect Norah’s attention, even though he feels the sizzling chemistry between them, but Norah won’t give up, especially once he offers her a much-needed job as a caretaker for his mom. Meanwhile, Norah needs to decide whether she wants to place her baby for adoption. Kai’s small gestures of kindness convince Norah that there is more to him than his gruff exterior, but her obsession with him, a selfish, no-nonsense, and sometimes nasty man, is difficult to comprehend. Furthermore, despite her pronouncements of independence, Norah comes across as passive and immature. Steamy sex scenes may appease some readers, but this lackluster entry is far from satisfying. Agent: Frances Black, Literary Counsel.