Review: Magic Shoes and Geeks
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 6, 2013
Reviewed by MarissaBook provided by the publisher for reviewReview originally posted at Romancing the BookThe whole key to this book (to the series, in fact) is a pair of vintage Saks shoes. Ruby red velvet, they once belonged to a film star from the `30s and are rumored to bring good luck. I dream of shoes like this, especially the one-size-fits-all fantasy (much like the Travelling Pants).The Cinderella Makeover takes place on a television reality show, which led me to believe there would be a lot of conflict between the contestants - just like they portray on actual reality shows. In actuality, the story is not so much about the show as it is about the attraction between Greg and Francesca. There is a mutual attraction (natch) but no real conflict - other than a few minutes at the beginning of the book.The story begins with a rude and obnoxious geek trying to get one over on a professional photographer. I really didn't understand this part of the story except as an explanation of why Greg has been through so many women (100 at his count). He is a rich, smart, handsome, successful man with no apparent interpersonal skills whatsoever. However, by the time he reaches the set for the reality show (Chapter Three) he has mellowed so there isn't much antagonism between the two characters. I would have liked to see this played up more, to see more antagonism, maybe some sort of competition or one-upmanship between them.The characters themselves were typical romance novel headliners - beautiful, no flaws. From the synopsis on the book, I expected Greg to be a geek, but here the term "geek" is used loosely. He may be labeled as such in both the synopsis and in the story, but other than his obsession with computer code there is nothing particularly geeky about Greg. He is handsome and does not appear to be socially inept. There is no stuttering when he tries to talk to women, no tripping over his own feet or walking into things because he is fixated on his cell phone.Don't get me wrong - this was a light, fun book to read. Yes, I would have liked more conflict between the characters and I do love me a good geek, but the romance was sweet. This is the story of two people who meet, connect, and slowly realize what they feel for each other. While this was the second book in a series, I would not have guessed it were it not for the shoes.