Alexandra O'Malley, a claims officer, has had a very bad day at the office. Leaving work, she never expected her day was about to go from bad to worse – a lot worse. At the pedestrian crossing, she gets run over by corporate lawyer Logan Jeffries. She wakes in a hospital bed with a broken arm and a much bruised body, being attended by a baby-faced doctor and believing she has amnesia. She seems to remember everything, except the man claiming to be her fiancé. It is only when she is released several days later and the unknown man takes her home that she finds out that he is not her fiancé. He is Logan, the man who has landed her in her current uncomfortable position. Determined never to see him again, she is confused and increasingly frustrated when he won't leave her alone. His persistence has Alex rethinking her avoidance of him, though her attraction to him is what really pushes her into deciding to go with the flow – not an easy decision for Alex, since experience has taught her that men are pond scum who cannot be trusted. Can she trust Logan, or will he betray and hurt her like all the men who came before him?

Logan cannot believe he ran a woman over! Late for a meeting, he had left the parking garage a lot faster than he should have. Now he won't make the meeting anyway, a woman's life may be hanging in the balance and he faces the very real possibility of being sued. Logan does what he can for the unknown woman, whom he recognises as someone who works in his office building and whom he has admired from time to time. The only way he can keep up to date on her condition is to pretend he is her fiancé – though when she finds out about his deception she is understandably angry. Logan has been cleaned out too many times to want to leave anything to fate. Upon a co-workers suggestion, he decides to romance Alex, at the very least attempt to get her to sign an agreement not to sue – him or the law firm he works for. The attraction he feels towards her makes getting closer to her. It is the same attraction that soon has him more focused on bedding her than on the potential lawsuit. But will his past experiences get in the way of any relationship they could develop?

The Accidental Lover is an engaging tale of two individuals who have previously had multiple bad experiences when it comes to relationships. Each struggles not to see the other as of the same mold as previous partners. I have to confess, I cannot imagine beginning in a relationship with a man who had run me over, accident or no. Nevertheless, in this tale this works. Indeed, it is the possible consequences of the accident that set up the whole story, with Logan fearful of being sued. The chemistry between the characters is well described, with their attraction being what draws them together time and again. Sexual encounters are described in detail, and one or two take place in fairly untraditional surroundings. Fantasies play a large role in the story, in a way I have not before come across but have very much enjoyed. Each character clearly struggles with themselves in the tale, and it is great to see how they try to work through their insecurities, how they try to set aside their ingrained fears to give one another a chance. The Accidental Lover is a great read which has ensured I will be reading Eileen Ann Brennan again – and not accidentally, either!

Reviewed by: Elizabeth