Review: Enjoyable Comtemporary Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2012
Tamara Morgan's debut LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD is a hilarious and delightful contemporary romance. While there are a few details that let this novel lose some of its steam, you can still find an enjoyable contemporary romance.It may be silly to some people, but Kate Simmons loves being a part of JARRS or the Jane Austen Regency Re-Enactment Society. So when she is put in charge of an annual JARRS event, she sets out to find the perfect location....only to realize it's occupied by a group of professional Highland Game athletes. Well she doesn't care if their leader, Julian Wallace, is drop dead gorgeous...or has muscles that would make most women drool and faint. All she knows is that she will do whatever she has to in order to get this location.Julian never thought this beautiful woman that walked into his life would try and steal his prime location right out from under his kilt...so to speak. He can't let her have it, no matter what, because the Highland Games means too much to him and to his family. When he realizes Kate won't back down, he has no other choice but to declare war. Now it's Austen intellect versus Highlander brawn in this battle of the sexes. As the attraction between Kate and Julian grows, they must decide what they really want...victory or love? Their battle pushes them to extremes and no one knows who will be left standing at the end, because after all, all's fair in love and war.Within the first few pages, LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD had me laughing, and truly enjoying the set up for the story. Mainly because it mixes so much of what's special about historical romance and throws it in the middle of a contemporary romance. You have the dashing hero and the bluestocking heroine going head to head, and the battle that follows is pure entertainment. It's a very lighthearted and interesting contemporary romance, yet it does pack a punch or two. Some moments are funny, but there are a few turns in this novel that do bring out plenty of emotional development. It's not just an attraction based on lust or passion, these two characters are drawn to each other on deeper levels and it only improves the overall enjoyment of the story.It's easy to fall in love with the leading characters. Kate is the somewhat nerdy, yet intelligent and spunky woman we can all relate to. If you want to read a novel about the shy young woman finally taking a stand for herself, this is the novel you want. She has a confidence the really starts to shine through this battle against Julian and it just makes her more interesting to read about. You can easily become wrapped up in her story and all the fun she is having along the way.Then of course, there is Julian. While he makes a great foe for Kate, he also makes a great hero. He may flex his muscles every now and then, but there is more than meets the eye. He is the protector, the one that seeks to make everyone happy and with that he has a softer side that makes him simply irresistible. Julian is going through life with blinders on, in a way, and this novel follows his discovery about who he really is, and you get to experience his realization that what used to be the number one focus in his life, may not be all that important. He's a great character who knows how to steal a scene or two...and steal a steamy kiss while he's at it. He's almost addictive in a way. Any time he's absent in the story, you'll find yourself quickly awaiting his return.Yes, there were a few problems. Kate's friendship with her best friend Jada has to be one of the most unhealthy relationships I've seen in literature in a long time. Jada provides a few moments of hilarious comedy, but other than that, she is a tragic and disappointing character. Mainly because she is selfish and her motive for doing anything is self-satisfaction. I didn't like her and I never grew to like her...and if I were Kate, I would never be friends with her. She really brought down the story for me and should Ms Morgan ever feature her in a book for this series, I can't say I'd even give it a chance. She was that unlikeable for me.Also, LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD does flirt with that fine line of being a bit juvenile. I can somewhat accept the fact that their antics are silly because it's part of the humor behind the situation, but it is sometimes drawn out too much. There were many scenes where I thought this book could have been solved very easily, only to find that the confrontation was going to be dragged on for a little longer. It wasn't exactly increasing my enjoyment of the novel. I flew through the first half of the novel only to find the second was just dragging on for a bit too long.Overall though, I easily became hooked and addicted to this story. It was intriguing, funny, and just plain old fun. The two lead characters share a stunning attraction that adds a lot to the drama of the story and their complex relationship. Even though I didn't love all the secondary characters, there were quite a few that I absolutely adored. I would be excited to learn more about them and see them featured in future novels. While I did have a few problems, I felt Ms Morgan's debut was very well done. The dialogue was sharp and witty, the description was detailed and the overall story was extremely entertaining. Romance readers looking for that modern day highlander hero with a modern day Austen heroine should pick up LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD.Lisa Jo @ The Romance Reviews