Review: 5 Gold Stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 3, 2013
I can thoroughly exclaim that this was a GOOD READ. As I read a lot of romance novels that include insta-love, overly-sentimental chicks, unrealistically debonair or extreme Alpha-type men, and/or a predictable plot-line, Marital Bitch was a breath of fresh air.The premise of the book included a group of childhood friends from Boston going to Vegas to celebrate Colleen's birthday. Colleen is a sophisticated, type-A, career-oriented Harvard law school grad - oft embarrassed of her humble Boston roots, most specifically, her accent! Her male best friend is Brad, a ball-scratching, snoring, burping Boston cop that fully embraces his upbringing, for better or worse. They are complete opposites and usually end up arguing with one another. Brad and Colleen have denied their romantic inclinations for quite some time. However, both are realizing that maybe they don't just love each other, maybe they're actually in love with each other. While in Vegas, a comical chain of events forces the friends to explore their feelings together.This book was free on Amazon and I was amazed at how much I loved it. I personally related to Colleen, as we have similar personalities - focused on advancing our careers, personal life taking a back seat, and brushing off embarrassing blights from our childhoods (even if that includes immature friends). I'm also a bit crazy, an occasional disgusting slob, and prone to break out of my sophisticated facade via random outbursts of immaturity. I liked that the author painted Colleen as a regular woman that has good days and bad days. She loves Brad but is deathly afraid to actually admit it. She ends up resorting to inane antics to get his attention.Bradley is Colleen's opposite: he's not worried about advancing his career outside of the police department, he's crude and brash and not ashamed of it, and his little biological clock is ticking. Again, the author made this character believable and relatable. Brad doesn't have a perfectly chiseled 6 pack and he doesn't always say the appropriate thing. But he's in love with Colleen and makes it perfectly clear that he wants her in his life, permanently.The themes of first love, lifelong friendships, as well as the effects of adult-life on said first love and lifelong friendships, are apparent. J.C. Emery's penchant for crude humor is right up my alley. I like her brand of romance and the 3 dimensional characters she's created. Too many romance authors come up with these unbelievably well-put-together females and males that are semi-perfect. Which is probably why I keep looking for my non-existent Mr. Right!! Good to see an authentic (i.e.- typically flawed) modern-day romance. Ready for book number 2!