When Chris Nelson’s car breaks down on the side of the road, it seems like a stroke of good luck when a sexy stranger stops to help her.  Ken Callahan is a gorgeous – in a disreputable looking way – construction worker on the way to his first day at a new job.  Then Chris accidentally breaks his arm and winds up with an unexpected roommate.  The single mother and former professional ice skater has neither the time nor interest for a man in her life, despite what her Aunt Edna says.  And Chris definitely doesn’t have the patience for a man who cooks a potholder into spaghetti, takes it rather well when she breaks his toe, and charms her meddling aunt and adorable seven-year-old.  But is Ken too good to be true?  Or is Chris looking for a way to keep herself from falling in love again before it’s too late?

Broken bones, cooking calamities, and one hunky, persistent suitor – I think it takes someone like Janet Evanovich to mix all those elements together and make it work.  Hero at Large is frothy fun and Ms. Evanovich definitely made me laugh with some of the zaniness Chris and company face.  The romance in Hero at Large is a bit understated and the walls around Chris’s heart are overly high, but I still enjoyed this story.  Ken is a wonderful hero, although I’d be wary about letting him near my kitchen unsupervised.  This is my first introduction to Ms. Evanovich’s writing, and I can see why she has garnered legions of fans.  Her deft touch with goodhearted humor makes it easy to care about her characters.  So even though there could have been more substance to the romance for me, all in all I enjoyed my trip into Chris and Ken’s world.