Review: A Heavy Hand with the Similes
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2014
The basic premise of this book is great. Who doesn't enjoy a good matchmaking story, right? But throw in quite a few editorial issues and an extreme over-usage of similes and a 5-star read becomes a 3-star.The editorial issues seem to stem from overlooking extra words, misplaced words, and some grammatical errors. After a while, they begin to add up and become distracting.But the similes, one after another, began to sound trite and a little silly. It's as if someone told Ms. Muldoon her skill with similes is the best thing since sliced bread. (Get it?) "My throat went as dry as a wagon trail in August." "...hungrier than a grizzly bear in spring." "All zipped up like a big bag of horse poop." Mind you, these are only a few. Little simile bombs like these are sprinkled throughout the book. It just felt like the writer was trying too hard to push the quaint, idiosyncratic small town feel. Show me, don't beat me over the head with it.***SPOILER ALERT*** And finally, I know it was necessary to fit with the story, but after knowing Fletcher Hart for a couple of months, it takes ONE MEETING in the sunshine for her to realize his eyes are blue? Seriously? And in a small town, how did Courtney and Dale not run into Annabelle? Really? Lame.So in summary, 5-stars for a good, clean romance AND a good mystery, -1 for editorial issues, and -1 for a heavy hand with the similes, corny dialogue, and cheesy nicknames.