Review: Delightful romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 13, 2012
The Man Plan is a warm, lighthearted, contemporary romance by Australian author Elise K Ackers. Having spent her birthday alone, grieving the recent death of her father, Cora vows to change her life and meet her soul mate by Christmas. Guided by advice from a library of romance books and chick flicks she tries a ploy involving a flat tire, exchanging phone numbers in moving traffic and internet dating, but what if finding true love was as simple as meeting the downstairs neighbour?I really enjoyed this delightful romance, with Cora's self imposed Christmas Day deadline The Man Plan is a lovely seasonal read.While Cora is a sympathetic figure, I love that Ackers has been careful to prevent her character from becoming an object of pity. I had to admire Cora's decision to be proactive in her search for the 'One', and the unique manner in which she went about it. I actually would have liked to see a few more instances of her failures, given her planning and determination. Still, I can easily understand her distraction given Matt's presence in her life.In his own way Matt is as lonely as Cora, finding it difficult to connect with anyone, scarred by his emotionally abusive upbringing. As such his aversion to commitment is understandable so it's lovely to watch him slowly fall for Cora.I enjoyed the light hearted humour, especially the witty banter between Cora and Matt. The story flows well and the dialogue rings true.Of course this is a romance so there is never any doubt there will be a happy ending for Cora and Matt. The Man Plan is a charming, feel good read about finding love where you least expect it.