Very, very - very rarely does a contemporary romance ever enthrall me to the point that reading its story becomes not just entertaining, but addictive. Thankfully that's not a harden fast rule, for Bait & Switch really grabbed me from the first page. It took hold of my shirt and refused to let go!The plot, for starters, was so unique. Perhaps not in such similar novels of its equivalent, what with two identical twins switching identities, but in comparison to most contemporary romances, it certainly was different. I had so much fun reading about not just Mitch but his twin brother Cary, too. I really loved that Gardner opted to tell a dual story of both Mitch and Cary, as well as their romantic interests. Overall, this book contains some amazing themes, some of the most powerful of which were discovery of self and the confidence and strength it takes to become a better person. The characters that delivered these themes were superb! While I really liked Mitch's love Peyton, it was the sub-plotted character Lizabeth that I absolutely adored. Ironically, I felt as if Lizabeth contained more personality and life as a character than Peyton. Still, both women were well written and, most importantly, I truly cared about each gaining their own happily-ever-afters. The heroes in the book were equally as compelling. It's interesting to note that, while initially Cary is painted as the seemingly 'bad guy' while Mitch appears to be the knight-in-shining-armor, Gardner did not leave either characters to their subsequent notations. Each man learns about not just their brother, but who they are and just what their particular faults might be. With Mitch, his revelations are much more understated, while Cary's are more obvious. With Cary, Gardner created a story, separate from the primary plot line, that gave him an opportunity to truly grow as an individual. This is excellent in my opinion, because when characters do not change and grow within a story, they become stagnant and dull. The pace of the novel was relatively fine, up until the last quarter of the book. Sadly, what kept this book from attaining five-star status was, essentially, the final pacing of the story. Towards the end of the novel, it felt as if Gardner was extrapolating the story to unnecessary levels. Thankfully this issue didn't seem to last long, and the book did end very well. All knots felt untied, and all plot points felt completed. Overall, I liked the writing, and I loved the characters to one degree or another. Yet, most importantly, the story kept me smiling and interested. While at a few moments the book felt drawn out, I was never bored with the people within Bait & Switch. I am so elated that, after having taken an extended hiatus from contemporary romance, my first foray back into the genre was an amazing success!
