This is a great book, with funny and sweet dialogue. One of JM's better contemporary romances. You actually felt the majic of Kate and Mitchell's first date. However, i found it odd that Kate had a boyfriend already, especially such a long-term one. and the typical JM misunderstanding scenario which drove them apart for three years was a litte trivial and could have been quickly and easily resolved, as it was quickly resolved after they met again. (who doesn't exchange cell phones numbers in this day and age?)

First off let me say Judith McNaught is a brilliant writer and is one of my favorite authors...with that said let me go on to the reason I gave this book 1 Star. "Every Breath You Take" began awesome and I thought "Oh yeah, this is going to be a good one"...boy was I wrong! In my opinion this book was a disaster, the things wrong with the story and how it was written is so great I don't want to spend my time writing about them. What I will tell you is Do Not judge this wonderful author based on this novel. If you have never read one of McNaught's books please don't start with this one, instead try "Kingdom of Dreams" or "Paradise".

pales in comparison to earlier works by the same author. lacks edge and ends abruptly

Mitchell Wyatt grew up as an orphan, a `charity case'. Sure, he had the best education money can buy, but he had no one to claim him as part of their family. He spent holidays with friends from school, but that never lasted once they found out he was a `charity case'. But when Stavros Konstantatos took Mitchell under his wing, he taught Mitchell everything he knew, and Mitchell learned well.

Now a self-made billionaire, Mitchell can afford the best of the best, and now that the Wyatt family is claiming him as family, Mitchell doesn't want to feel anything for the man who made sure he'd disappear out of their lives as a newborn. But Mitchell's half brother was different. William hadn't known that Mitchell existed, and tried his very best to include Mitchell in his life. But then William disappears without a trace, and the DA swears it's because of Mitchell and is trying to build a case to prove it. Meanwhile, Mitchell is on vacation aboard a friend's yatch in Anguilla.

Kate Donovan recently lost her father in an apparent drive-by shooting. Her boyfriend, Evan, whisks her away to Anguilla to help her grieve, only to leave her there as he is summoned back in court. Then she meets Mitchell, and as much as neither wants to believe, they are drawn to each other.

But as luck would have it, they get one incredible night together, but that wouldn't last. While Kate returns to her villa to pack her things, intending to break up with Evan, Mitchell is summoned back to the states, now a suspect in his brother's murder now that his corpse has been found. When Kate explains to Evan that she's leaving him for Mitchell, he tells her it was a set up on Mitchell's part as he's sure Mitchell knew Kate was his girlfriend. When Kate tries to find Mitchell, she believes that he's left without her and believes that she could still be with Evan.

But those aren't in the cards. Mitchell finds out who Kate is and believes she'd set him up, just as she him. They split ways, but when Kate finds out she's pregnant with his child, Evan wants an abortion, something Kate refuses to do.

And now she's alone. She'd managed to make a name for herself in the restaurant business and is raising a child on her own. But when her son is kidnapped with a ransom of 10 million, she knows she has no choice but to hunt down Mitchell. She hadn't told him about their son, having remembered what he'd said about his previous wife wanting kids and he didn't, which resulted in divorce. She didn't want to burden him, but with the kidnapping, she has no choice to involve him for he is the only one she knows who would have that kind of money.

So, with that synopsis, I can honestly say: Read it, thought it was *shrug* okay. While it wasn't a waste of a read, I don't think I'd have picked this up if it wasn't for a book of the month. I'm not one for a straight romance - to me, they all start the same and finish the same. I've read this scenario so many times that I just really couldn't get into it. While I felt Kate was somewhat real, and there seemed to be sparks between them, I felt Mitchell really didn't have anything to him. You read what he's feeling and that for him it's not normal, but it fell flat - deja vu.

I was hoping for more of a case with the murder of his brother, but it was sidelined. And the kidnapping... I expected it right when I find out she's raising him on her own. And again, the main characters had no part in finding their son, just like they weren't part of William's investigation. While the book is almost 500 pages long, the ending was rather abrupt and I didn't like it. I just need more `kick', more `oomph' in a story - something this book just didn't give me.

But I won't say is was a bad book. For me, straight romance just doesn't cut it. But for those who like nothing but romance, you may enjoy it.

I enjoyed this book, particularly the extended version. Mitchell and Kate were lovely, and I enjoyed Julie and Zach, although I wish there would have been more of them! Mitchell is the typical McNaught hero, but I happen to LOVE her men. Honestly, this is a fantasy world, so why not make the hero gorgeous, smart, and rich? Not to mention delightfully grumpy and mysterious. EBYT is not as good as Paradise and Perfect, but it is very enjoyable and well written. My advice is that if you are looking for a good contemporary McNaught, buy Paradise (the best), then Perfect (almost as good), then pick up EBYT. You'll enjoy it more in that order. Judith McNaught has a way of drawing you into her world and keeping you there, so you are still thinking about the book and the characters for days, even weeks after you have finished reading!