Review: A Romance With Very Little Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2013
ARC was provided by Harlequin Enterprises Australia via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Falling for the Lawyer was a quick read but left me wanting more. Much more. By the end of the book, I felt cheated. I had read a romance with little to no romance, let alone passion. Ah well, it was still a decent read but fell short of being "good."What I liked:1. The premise of the book. I love a heroine who eventually builds confidence to be the master of her own fate while simultaneously being challenged by an aggressive male, who just happens to be her boss.2. Fighting an improper attraction. I enjoy when characters begin to have romantic inklings for each other even though it's improper. Workplace romances are typically frowned upon, AND one of the parties was engaged, but JP pursued Alex regardless.What I didn't Like:1. Not a one sex scene. I need a spot o' sex to carry me through a *romance.* I had to wait until the last half to get more than a lukewarm kiss between Alex and JP. And they never even made love. Reeks of no passion to me.2. Insta-love. I think writing romances that include "I fell in love with you from the moment I met you" are cliched at best, and lazy at worst. To me, it's an easy way out that let's the author off the hook from creating 3-dimensional characters, realistic plot-lines and including actual plot development. The love between the two main characters just magically transpired out of thin air.3. Magical confidence. Most people do not just wake up one morning and transform into a sexy, cheeky, confident woman. But Alex did just that towards the end of the book, even though she had battling with being passive for all of her life. There was no gradual transition to her magical transformation.4. Australian euphemisms and jargon. This is just a stupid little nitpicky thing but it took awhile to figure out some of the phrases that were used.5. Words that were too complex. I love reading "smart" romances but some of the words that were used made me bring out the dictionary! Examples include: "kerb," "manky," "tetchily," "languorously," "obduracy," "frisson," and et cetera. With the heavy use of such complex words combined with Australian euphemisms, it may prove tough for readers to get the full effect the author's writing style.