Review: Chicklit, but with a darker edge! Gripping!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2014
I had already bought the first in the Dating Mr Darcy series, Prada and Prejudice and rated it 5 stars, so I immediately started reading Love and Liability as soon as I had finished the first. My rating is 4.5 stars for Love and Liability. This isn't just chicklit - it's so much more. Half way through I was really enjoying it, although not quite as much as Prada and Prejudice, and then, wham! The novel took a much darker turn, which I absolutely loved. It honestly had me on the edge of my seat and I found myself trying to find time to be able to read it, even though I was really busy. I loved to hate the Erik character and so sorely hoped he would get his comeuppance. I had a soft spot for Will - in fact there were quite a few fanciable males in the story! There was the same brilliant humour in the book that there had been in the first, not to mention a similar hot love interest, in the shape of Henry (Alex) Barrington. Mmmm. Backstabbing flatmates, making poor decisions and hilarious Bridget Jones-esque moments for the heroine, Holly, whom we met briefly in the first book were only some of the great reasons to enjoy this novel. I particularly liked the serious theme of homelessness throughout the novel. Once again the novel was action-packed in a way that most chicklit novels aren't, full of great sub-plots for many of the characters. Much darker than the first novel and all the better for it.  My one criticism would be I felt one of the sub-plots, to do with HIV, was dealt with too fleetingly. I could imagine all the places the author had depicted and have a clear picture in my head of Chef Russo and chef Louis! And Jamie Gordon wasn't to be sneezed at either, in the love stakes! A very likeable heroine, in the shape of Holly, Love and Liability paves the way for a new breed of chicklit novel, with a bit more oomph.  Katie Oliver is shaping up to be an author worthy of everyone's notice. I can't wait to start the third Dating Mr Darcy series novel today.