Review: What's produce got to do with it?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2012
"Project Produce" opens with a discussion between Callie and her friend of whether and how a man's size affects his personality, a silly research project assigned to her in her sex therapy class.  Callie decides that she will classify men as pickles, cucumbers, and zucchinis to attempt to predict their personalities.  I thought most women already knew the answer to this question: a man's size is in reverse proportion to his kindness.  So, guys, be nice to the women you meet so that you are not judged harshly. :)Based on the book description, the other reviews, and the classification of the book as humor (UPDATE: this has since been changed), I was expecting a light-hearted, silly romp.  But I would classify this as a standard contemporary romance with a thriller-lite aspect.  Frankly, it makes me question whether any of the 5 star reviewers read anything but the Amazon blurb.  To be clear, I'm not questioning whether this book warrants 5 stars. I certainly believe an actual reader could rate it that highly.  I am questioning the content of the five reviews posted prior to mine, all of which essentially say only: "This book is funny.  It made me laugh." The humor is a very minor aspect and is completely incidental to the plot.  Not a single reviewer mentions the suspense/danger angle which runs throughout the book and which leads to a genuinely surprising twist at the end that puts Callie's life at risk.  It is also the element which brings the hero and heroine together and keeps them together.  It just seems unbelievable that people who supposedly loved this book would have completely missed this or not found it worthy of even a brief mention.  I typically ignore "suspect" reviews, because I think we are all smart enough to recognize them.  I do apologize if I've unfairly questioned an honest review here.  However, I felt the need to comment on these five reviews because I believe they mischaracterize the book, and they could mislead potential readers.  OK, rant over, moving on...Callie earns money working the front desk of a cheap motel when she is accosted by a flasher.  Her first pickle!  She fights him off before he can do more.  When the sexy detective, Dylan, arrives, Callie hopes he could be a zucchini.  Callie learns that the flasher has been assaulting women, and she is the first woman who successfully fought back.  Dylan believes the flasher will attempt to strike back at Callie, and so he decides he will protect her.The author created likable characters, although I thought Dylan initially exhibited some creepy stalker tendencies.  Callie was badly betrayed by her previous boyfriend, and so Dylan has to work hard to earn her trust.  The author also handles the suspense involving the flasher well, keeping the tension up.I thought the author stumbled when Callie presented her research project to the class.  It was so trite and juvenile: Everyone is different, we should celebrate those differences, don't judge a book by its cover, etc.  It made me feel more strongly that the whole produce thing could have been chopped (pun intended).To the author: If possible, may I suggest getting this book classified as contemporary romance, rather than humor (UPDATE: this has been changed), and editing the blurb to put an emphasis on the romance and suspense.  I'd be willing to bet you would attract more readers!