Review: 99 Percent Mine

Summary: Crush (n.): a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach…

Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy’s twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy’s best efforts, Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty—ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough.

When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade.

Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that's inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying—and it’s not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom’s heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers. -- William Morrow

I'm not sure that I would have picked up 99 PERCENT MINE by Sally Thorne except that my sister asked to borrow it. She enjoyed the author's first novel, THE HATING GAME, and asked if I could hand it over after I read it. That gave me the push I needed to read it... plus I was in the mood for something fun.

Well, 99 PERCENT MINE was definitely fun, albeit not a typical read for me. While I was expecting chick-lit and a light-hearted romance, this novel ended up being pretty hot. I can say with certainty that I am not a good judge of these types of stories, but I suspect this novel will appeal to fans of this genre. The author created some interesting characters and a fun story, and the sexual tension between them was off the charts!

99 PERCENT MINE tells the story of Darcy Bennett, a woman who has been crushing on the "perfect" Tom Valeska for her entire life. Darcy and her twin brother Jamie befriended Tom years ago, and Darcy has been trying to win him over ever since. Unfortunately, Tom "belongs" to her brother and is, therefore, "off limits."

However, when Tom shows up to help fix up Darcy and Jamie's grandmother's cottage, all bets are off. Jamie is out of the picture and Tom is newly single. Darcy can sense the chemistry between them... and she's hoping to make Tom 99 percent hers!

I found 99 PERCENT MINE to be entertaining and pure escapism. It was definitely a cute story with lots of sparks between the characters. I liked all of the characters (even Jamie although he was a bit of a pain in the butt at times), and I especially enjoyed Tom and Darcy's romantic dalliance. I appreciated that Darcy was a complicated character, given her past and her heart condition; and I loved her spunk and witty commentary.

99 PERCENT MINE is a sweet friends to lovers story that's perfect for the Valentine Day holiday. Recommended to fans of light rom-com books!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.