Review: (3.5 stars)  Romance of the Insecure.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 16, 2012
This is the third Barrett-Lee novel I've read.  If you like Katie Fforde or Jill Mansell, she writes in a similar style although her protagonists tend to be a bit older, into their 30s or 40s usually.There's perhaps a wee bit too much going on in a Barrett-Lee novel and, in addition, we're in the protagonist's head perhaps more than I'd like, but the author does amuse the reader here with her take on things such as modern art, pretentious artists, home-decorating TV shows, etc.The characters are flawed, vulnerable and very real.  Our heroine Lu is a 35-year-old single mom who isn't sure what she wants to do with her life, rather indecisive about career moves and very fearful about romantic attachments (once bitten, twice shy).  She gets involved with the tutor of the art class she enrolls in, and during the day she has a temp job working for a divorced businessman.The relationships Lu develops with both have humorous moments and very real-world moments, not romanticized love.  You'll be rooting for her to choose the right guy, maybe not sure at first that there is a "right" guy, but I think you'll be happy with the ending.  And along the way, there are lots of secondary characters to meet, among them Lu's down-to-earth sister Del and Lu's co-worker at the office.This is worth the read, if only to see how life is different yet similar across the Pond.  I did do a bit of my own version of speed-reading at times when things were just a bit too off-on-a-tangent for me, but in general this is a pleasant read.  I downloaded it when it was a free offering so it was a win-win situation.