Review: A cute and reluctant romance!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2012
A cute and reluctant romance.My TakeThis was great! A sweet read of two people discovering all that they didn't know about each other. I envy their trip around Holland, even if I don't lust for the bike/camping trip.I loved this one, LOL: "Under the heading of 'other abilities' she could write 'scarier than armed conflict'."Her boss does have a point about her being in the more adult leagues; I just can't agree with her moral decisions. It's one of those things I dislike about journalists. Yes, I am making a blanket judgment, but, as Claire says, next week the world will focus on something or someone else. In the meantime, the hatchet job a media outlet does on someone sticks to that person forever. It's not fair to force this on someone, especially when someone like Claire Douglas is going to twist it around simply to encourage her readership. Who cares how it hurts the guy? The general world will forget it, even if the people who know him will harass him about it for as long as their memory of it lasts.Okay, wait...how does Laura think she's gonna fix things by going ahead with this interview? Sure, she makes a good point about his needing to grow up; she also needs to do some growing up, as Charlie has pointed out.Henderson did an interesting twist on her approach to this romance with a woman who is out there and the summerhouse-fling who avoids her (I do have to wonder about a guy who is still so hormonally driven at twenty-three and still doesn't have much control). It's not an earthshaking story with great tension, but it certainly tips the drama quotient with its insight into two very different people who don't want to be attracted to each other. A bet, a deal, and two "children" ragging on each other. Growing into each other with each getting what they never knew they wanted."...she looked...like an evil fairy. ...innocence personified. He knew better."Humor abounds from Laura's losses of control to Charlie's bits of revenge to fellow cyclists who enjoy the Laura show. The wedding...oh, lordy."Which campsite are you going to after this?" they wanted to know. "We don't want to miss what happens next."Nice use of Laura's dysfunctional parents to bring a depth to Laura's issues. Laura's maneuver to first meet up with Charlie was brilliant if not actually practical in the real world. I definitely loved Henderson's resolution! Absolutely perfect and totally unexpected!The StoryEver since Charlie tore off after taking her virginity, Laura has really hated him. Now, she's going to be forced into his company. If she wants to keep that job she's struggled to achieve.The CharactersLaura Prentice is a woman with whom you will always know where you stand, honest to a fault. No matter how painful or embarrassing. She's finally made it up to the adult audience magazines and she's determined to stay there!Claire Douglas is her bitch of a new boss at Francine magazine. No morals and no consideration. Maggie is Claire's unhappy assistant.Charlie Lewis, a.k.a., the Neanderthal, is her best friend's, Maddie's, brother. And a childhood neighbor. These days, he's Dr. Hottie at the Emergency Department (ED), suffering through a viral video of a rescue he did in Afghanistan. Frank is a friend and senior nurse at the ED. Mark Chambers is with Medicine International and looking for an on-call doctor.The CoverThe cover is in the spirit of the story, even if it doesn't reflect the actual tale. It's all about taking a chance, letting it fly free just as Laura's flip-flop-clad feet are doing through the open window of that car.No kidding! It truly is Laura's Big Break, in so many ways, LOL!