When I read NA Contemporary Romance novels, I expect a couple of things. Feels by the boatloads, and hot 'n steamy times. TRAGIC certainly has plenty of both, but for me, what separated this book from the rest of the pack was its sheer enjoyability. Told in alternating POV's (my favorite!), it clips along at a brisk pace and does everything a good story should do. Namely, entertaining its readers and providing them with characters worth rooting for.

Rook Walsh drew the short stick in life. When the book begins, she's running away from a terrible situation. Homeless, jobless, with no money or friends to call for help, she finds herself at a coffee shop, where, by pure chance, she comes into possession of a business card for a photography studio that is looking for models. Figuring what the hell, why not, she decides to check it out, and before she knows it, she is selected as the new face of the TRAGIC campaign and is plunged into the crazy, not-as-glamorous-as-it-sounds world of erotic modeling.

Now, I know what you're thinking. If she's an erotic model, this book is going to be one big sexfest, right? Wrong! Sure, there are sexually-charged photo shoots, and the book has no shortage of sizzly scenes (start the ice baths now, ladies!), but a porn film in the making, it is not. What Rook and the other models do is a job like any other, with its own unique set of ups and downs, and I appreciated the author's no-nonsense handling of that part of the story.

Rook is an authentically "new adult" character - a girl who has been through some seriously hellacious crap and is just trying to figure out how to navigate life's choppy waters, the best she can. She doesn't pretend to have all the answers, she doesn't always make the wisest decisions, but she's got plenty of attitude and spark, and she isn't afraid to fight for what she wants. She also has a refreshingly honest voice that I connected with right away. I just plain liked the girl, and I'm excited to see where this new road in her life takes her.

Helping Rook out is smokin' hot male model Ronin. He takes Rook under his wing right away and is a big part of the reason she lands the TRAGIC contract. As a romantic interest, I'll admit he came on a wee bit too strong for me at first, but he quickly won me over after a chapter or two. He isn't much older than Rook herself, but he has been in the biz for a while and is remarkably clear-headed and perceptive. He gets Rook in ways no one ever has before, and I thought he really balanced her out well. Plus he's sexy, and sweet, and charming, and a whole list of other things that make him a leading man worth sighing over.

To sum it up, my friends, TRAGIC is a spicy, engaging, and just plain fun read, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.