Fit for You by Cynthia Tennent book review

This book is the 4th book the the Truhart series, but it can be read as a standalone.  I jumped into the 4th book and then proceeded to buy the previous ones. Lily Shue arrives in a small town in Michigan because of a government grant to get the town moving towards better fitness.  It is a little bit awkward because Lily arrives injured and on crutches and it feels like she is being judged because she can't exercise -- and she is supposed to run exercise classes.  Lily is from California and adjusting to live in a small Michigan town will take some getting used to.  Things are made more difficult because the terms of the grant were not completely truthful and when Edge shows up to pick her up, he puts her up as his mom's house.  She was promised her own apartment. So now Lily is stuck in a house full of strangers and a hot guy she does not want to be interested in.

Edge Callaghan is a former skier and Olympic hopeful.  His skiing career ended and he has been living in a small town doing all sorts of odd jobs.  He is close to his family, which Lily finds endearing but he also frustrates her at every turn.  The readers are introduced to Edge while he has a full on beard going, so Lily can't really tell what he looks like.  She prefers to ignore him, but as she gets to know him, his personality grows on her.

This book is more of a slow burn.  There is a lot of character development going on and the plot is quite detailed.  I think the setting is unusual, the characters don't quite hit it off right away and there is a lot of humor.  It turned out to be a pleasantly surprising, quirky book.  The romance is still there, but it just took a different path to get to the HEA.  I love the competitive nature of both of the characters.  I love the setting and I might be somewhat biased towards stories that take place in Michigan ;)  The writing is good, the plot/setting is unique, the dialogue and characters are fun and unusual. I think this book will appeal to contemporary romance readers.  Perfect to take with you "up north" and disconnect from reality for a bit.