Review: delightful tale of hope and promise.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2008
Belle Taylor has her life carefully mapped out.  She's been making goal oriented lists her entire life and never once has she failed to reach each milestone and feel a sense of accomplishment as she marks it off the `TO DO LIST.'  For the first time ever her goal of a plush corner office and her name on the letterhead of the law firm where she's been working has her considering altering her plans.  She's been working eighty hour weeks for the past year and Belle's just beginning to realize that the perks of her desired position may not be worth the sacrifices she's made.Rafe Bettencourt, Belle's brother Brian's best friend, has been a longstanding friend of the family and the object of Belle's fantasies since she was twelve years old.  It wasn't until five years ago that he began to view her as a desirable woman - before that she was simply Brian's little sister and a whole lot of fun to torment.  Rafe's perfectly aware of Belle's anal retentive, control freak nature but that's a trait he's begun to find very alluring about her - there's nothing he'd like more than to strip her naked and make her lose control.For the first time in a year, Belle has returned home to visit with her family for the holidays.  She's thinner and paler than she had been on previous visits and everyone points out the fact that she's had no time for herself, family, or anything else that makes life worth living.  Belle's perfectly aware of that fact but she's come so far and is so close to her goal - quitting now is simply inconceivable.  Rafe proves to be a delightful distraction from her own troubles as he tempts her to be naughty with him.  What better time to start up a little romance than Christmas and seeing as she'll be visiting for a full five days, he's determined to give her a good reason to make some adjustments to her `TO DO LIST.'  Adjustments that include him, a happily ever after, and all the organizing and list making she could ever desire - as long as he can seduce her into giving up her `dreams' of success in San Francisco.  Or had she already been coming to the conclusion that there's more to life than a corner office and empty apartment all on her own?  Rafe just may provide that extra push she needs to take the leap of faith and move one of her long term goals up a few notches.Lauren Dane will have readers smiling with this delightful tale of hope and promise.  TO DO LIST captures Belle's single-minded pursuit of her dreams and her lists with humor and a little sadness.  There's no doubt that she's well on her way to acquiring her goal, but she also realizes that it isn't worth giving up her `real' life to achieve and accepting that she isn't going to get to cross that goal off her list is difficult to accept.  Rafe is willing to accept Belle exactly as she is - organized shoes and all - but he's also aware that the path she's on is a destructive and lonely one.  Rather than try to tell her what she should do he presents her with feasible options which may make her happier.  I had a great time reading TO DO LIST especially since I'm guilty of making these infamous lists myself.  I loved the family aspect of this story and the way it makes you see that there are more important things in life than reaching every goal you set for yourself - there's health, family, love, and your own happiness.Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)