Review: It's Delightful, It's Delicious, It's De-Love on the Lido Deck
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2014
“Love on the Lido Deck” is a playful and engaging successor to Oliverio’s previous novel. Using the same characters with a shift in perspective, this book tells the story of Keira’s adventures seeking success in a new career. It is a proper romantic comedy in that it focuses on building interesting characters rather than simply throwing them together in a forced romance. Keira’s friends, coworkers, and family are all big parts of her life that factor into her attempts to achieve success and happiness in life and love.The dialogue between Keira and her friend Alex is by far one of the standout features of this novel. The author seems to be aware of this fact, as the story begins right off the bat with a scene between the two friends as Keira readies herself for a career change. There are some parts of the first few chapters which can seem expository at times, but this issue fades away as the novel continues.With Oliverio’s previous book having focused primarily on Keira’s chef friend Alexandria, this novel continues to include food as a recurring theme. Alex’s role is very important to Keira’s successful event planning aboard the cruise line, setting up her presence in the novel. Oliverio has also included a section at the back of the book full of some of her favorite recipes, a feature which was present in the first novel as well. Many of these recipes are regional, most of them southern (specifically Louisiana, including the drink recipe for Hurricanes).It does not appear as if a person would have to read the first book to enjoy this one. The humor is well-executed and the characters are engaging, even for first-time readers. The addition of delicious recipes should help to keep readers’ interest afloat from beginning to end of this delightful romantic comedy.