Review: A nice "second chance" love story with great chemistry, although the actual plot fell a bit flat for me
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2013
I do love a good "second chance" love story, as long as it's done well and while I liked Wife in Name Only just fine, it wasn't all that engrossing to me. The tropical setting was great, the characters were interesting, it was just the plot line itself that fell a little flat for me and even the secondary storyline felt like an afterthought, so overall it didn't hold my attention very well.I liked Rory and Zoe's relationship. These are two people who fell in love young and as the years went by, they lost track of who they are and became different people. When they're forced to stay on a remote island together, they tackle the problems that made their relationship fall apart and slowly learn to fall in love with each other again. The chemistry and attraction is obvious right from the start. I loved their dialogue and their witty banter easily made me feel like they fit together nicely, it was just that he was too corporate, while she needed something more relaxed and free and they had to find a balance between both worlds. They were pretty opposite and set in their ways in that aspect, which made me wonder if they were ever going to make it work, but with the added secondary storyline, things kind of just fell into place a little too coincidentally, which I guess was that "un-wow" factor for me.I felt like they didn't really grow or change much and I kept wondering when Rory would relax and realize love was more important than work or when Zoe would realize how important Rory's career is to him. It felt like they were at odds with each other for most of the story, him wanting to go back to his life as soon as he could, and she just needing him for the publicity, and then suddenly, they realize how much they love each other and can't be apart. I didn't really feel that connection that I equate to great romances.Overall, I did like the story and the setting was great. The characters were okay, for the most part. I found some parts to drag a little and others that needed a bit more explanation, but the book is not without its fun moments. Things just ebbed and flowed with not much excitement or drama, which I think was the thing that made this just an "okay read" for me.