Review: Let me start by saying that I love Molly Harper's books
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 17, 2013
I have, as of November 2013, twelve Molly Harper books on my iPod. I listen to them two or three times a year (there are some advantages to a really poor memory). I always bought the books as soon as they came out, until this one. When I read the synopsis I passed it by. Now I had an opportunity for a good deal on it and wanted something new to listen to so I picked it up. And, as you can guess from the rating, I wasn't all that impressed. It's not a bad book, but for me the characters were lacking the spark that keeps me going back to the other books. At first I thought it might be because there is no paranormal aspect as you are used to in the Jane Jamison, Half Moon Hollow and Naked Werewolf books, but that can't be it because I like "And One Last Thing"... a lot. Maybe part of it is that with over 40 years in the workforce part of the premise struck too close to home, having a major unwelcome business surprise handed to you without warning. Not the kind that means you have to work 60 hours over the next week, the kind that leaves you bleeding on the floor without an EMT in sight. There was recovery eventually but the characters simply didn't ring true to me. There needs to be a certain lack of understanding between the protagonists but these two were beyond clueless. She was too nice, he was too unable to see more than one narrow viewpoint. He was supposed to be a marketing genius, that requires more flexibility than he shows for most of the book. And his solution was, again, not too bright. Don't talk about anything, ever, just react and let other people judge your actions by the only standard they have if you clam up: your actions.  All of that said the eBook is very reasonably priced and it's not a bad book, just not up to Harper's standards, Now come the odd part. I'm going to buy the second book. Even though some of the reviews talk about formulaic. I'm not going to get the audio book because that isn't reasonably priced for such a short book, but for light, inexpensive reading this is ok. I'm hoping to enjoy the second book more, though reading the synopsis it really does sound a lot like a rehash of this basic plot line; they are working towards opposite goals but they can't keep their hands off one another. I'm not in a hurry to buy it, I have other books I'd rather read just now, but there will come a time when I'm bored with the books I have and I'll buy Rhythm and Bluegrass. That's the way it is for me with three stars. A two star book means I'll ignore it and all its progeny. A one star book is just a donation away from being burned. But a three star book means I'll give the series a second chance, I just won't be hurrying to get the next book, the way I'm waiting for How To Run With A Naked Werewolf.