Review: Tortured Mess
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2012
Have you ever encountered a romance heroine that you wanted to shake until her teeth rattled?  I have, and her name is Mary Beth Kendrick.Mary Beth met Tom Sackett at an exclusive prep school at which she was a poor scholarship student and he a privileged rich boy.  During the course of their high school years they developed a friendship which blossomed into a romance.  Their romance ended abruptly on the night of their graduation formal when snotty classmates gave the impression Tom's interest was part of a bet.  Mary Beth was heartbroken, fled the dance and never gave Tom a chance to explain.Twelve years later, Mary Beth is co-owner of a catering business that's on the brink of financial ruin.  Tom's company wants to invest and Mary Beth reluctantly agrees at the urging of her business partner.  She hasn't seen or spoken to him in twelve years and it quickly becomes apparent that a) Mary Beth hasn't gotten over him and b) she still has the mentality of an eighteen year old.Mary Beth is a roiling mass of insecurity and it all centers around wealth and those that have it.  It makes you wonder why someone would start an upscale catering company if the wealthy made them feel like dirt.Tom has never forgotten Mary Beth and desperately wants to make amends.  She rebuffs all his attempts at discussing the past claiming she wants their relationship to be strictly business.  Even though Tom always treats her as a business partner, she constantly reminds him that she works for him.  Each time she spouted that line I wanted to shake her!  She placed herself in a subservient role and then blamed him for it.Of course she can't resist him and they begin a physical relationship.  Despite Tom's repeated attempts, Mary Beth refuses to discuss the fateful night twelve years prior and my frustration grew.  Had Mary Beth actually acted like a 30 year old and voiced her past hurts and grievances, the book would have flowed to a natural conclusion....and been half as long.I don't believe their happily-ever-after will last.  Her "aha" moment is incredibly superficial and you know Tom will spend his life catering (pun intended) to her insecurities.  He deserves better (and according to Mary Beth that means richer!)and so does the reader.Pass this one up.