Do you remember what it felt like to build a fort with your best friends? Where you'd string up all your sheets and blankets over chairs and couches, and then pile in underneath the canopy, laughing and playing and talking for hours? Do you remember that joy, that incredible sense of warmth and comfort and love?

That's what reading this book felt like to me.

Work in Progress is my favorite Staci Hart novel to date, and there really isn't just one reason. There are so many, it's impossible to list them all. Between the phenomenal writing, the never-before-read characters, and the true, genuine romance that I've always dreamed of having in my own life, I was as smitten as a kitten with a ball of catnip. If there was a gold medal for romantic comedy of the year, Staci Hart would clench it with Work in Progress -- and no one else would even come close to dethroning her.

I hadn't realized then that I had been very lonely. Not until I wasn't anymore. And it was all thanks to Tommy.

There was so much to love in this book. First of all, Amelia Hall is the heroine I didn't know I've been needing. Here's this shy, awkward, but potty-mouthed and feisty BOOKWORM trying to stumble through her first "relationship"... which is FAKE, by the way. She and her friends are so hilarious, and it felt just like sitting around with my OWN friends, gossiping and trying to figure out what to do when it comes to boys. I loved any scene with her and the girls, and any scene where her buttons got pushed and she came out of her shell a little. As a painfully awkward bookworm myself, it was so awesome to have my own feelings and anxieties reflected in a heroine. She was hilarious. And adorable. And strong. And loving. SIGH. I might have a crush on her more than Thomas Bane...

Okay, that's a lie.

Because THOMAS MOTHERF*CKIN BANE, Y'ALL. First of all, from all the descriptions Hart paints of Tommy, I just picture him as Jason Momoa -- built like a god, sexy from his eyes to his toes, long, thick head of hair, strong jaw, nose that somehow turns you on. SIGH. And as if the way he LOOKS isn't enough to drool over, Hart went ahead and painted him as the most amazing Hero I've ever read. He's a writer.... A WRITER, GUYS. He writes fantasy, but Amelia challenges him to write romance after ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARGUMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF BOOKS EVER. I seriously highlighted so much of it (maybe because it was sexy to see a guy put in his place with a woman defending romance books. Take that, Tommy!).

ANYWAY.

He's kind, he's protective, he's aware of those he loves and what they need and he'll do ANYTHING for them. He's also cocky, and playful, and he loves to make Amelia squirm. Think Han Solo with Leia... THE BEST KIND OF FLIRTY VIBES.

I was falling in love with my husband. And I had an undeniable feeling that he was falling in love with me, too.

These two characters together were absolutely explosive. There's so much tension, so much angst leading up to their first kiss that by the time I got it, I was a SQUIRMY MESS. And the first time it gets steamy between them? FAGEDDABOUTIT. She's a virgin, and he's a playboy, and the way he worships her body made me want to forego my life here on Earth and make a deal with the devil. GET ME INSIDE THIS BOOK, LUCIFER, AND INSIDE TOMMY'S ARMS. RIGHT MEOW.

Okay, I digress.

But what I love MOST about this book and, well, any Staci Hart book, really, is the out of this world writing. I read so much romance, and no one -- NO ONE -- does it like Hart does. Her writing is so poetic, so beautiful, it's like staring at a rare painting revered around the world that you somehow got to hold in your hands for a short while. She paints worlds like Van Gogh paints a starry night. She creates rich characters like Martha Stewart creates rich, decadent chocolate cakes. What I'm trying to say is that she is, quite simply, the most talented romance author I have the pleasure of reading. It's this that will always keep me coming back, always have me clamoring for more, and always have me wondering if I should quit writing, myself, because I'll never be able to do what she does.

I could go on and on about this book, the author, the writing, the CHARACTERS, the plot. But here's everything you need to know in a nutshell:

Work in Progress is undoubtedly the best romantic comedy to come from Staci Hart's brilliant mind, and if you've ever read her work before, you know this is a huge testament. This book will have you clutching your heart in swoon after swoon, sighing with reverence, and all this while fighting back laughter -- and that's a fight you'll lose, I promise. Work in Progress isn't just a romantic comedy for this generation, it's one for the ages, and if I could file it away next to my classics, I would. I am simply blown away and in absolute, dazzled awe. 5 stars just isn't enough. Every romance-loving bookworm MUST read this book!

Now... I'll try to patiently wait for Katherine's book. But after that epilogue, I don't know how I'll make it. This group of friends is by far my favorite in any book world, save for maybe the Harry Potter crew. I can't wait to get more of them!

Chop chop, Staci Hart. Your number one fan is waiting! ;)