Review: Chicklit yes, romance not so much
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2013
Oh, man, this could have been so good. Good characters pull you in with just enough flaws to make them seem human. So how could you not like sexy-man-about-town-meets-reserved-sweetheart, right? Unfortunately, for much of the book, I couldn't help thinking manwhore-meets-doormat. If Julian were a woman, he'd likely not be cast as the heroine, especially because there seems to be little justification for his lack of commitment to Melody.***SPOILERS***Marie Landry writes some great banter, though. In fact, I think she excels at it. This kept me going when I found myself unable to root for Julian and Melody as a couple. Unfortunately, Landry doesn't really follow up on it. When J&M; finally get together (and I do mean FINALLY, as it's 86% of the way through the book...), there's some lead up (a couple of paragraphs) and then "Julian rolled off her" in the very next sentence. What happened to the good stuff? This reminded me of Harlequin novels from my youth ('70s) where it seemed like your parents were the editors and removed every pulse-throbbing scene. Sheesh. Even worse, the setting for their final, uhh, joining, is at a really awkward moment. All I can say is if someone in my family were in his father's situation, the last thing I'd be thinking about is getting it on with my should-I-or-shouldn't-I friend. Even if I was crazy with lust, the location just wouldn't work.***END of SPOILERS***This book is more chicklit than romance, with the difference being the amount of time it devotes to girl issues (as opposed to sexual chemistry and the characters acting upon it, think Bridget Jones as chicklit and anything by Nora Roberts as romance).  I picked it up because it had been recommended by other readers on Goodreads. If I remember correctly, they even had it in the top books of '12. I'm sorry to say, I couldn't vote for it on a faves list, more of an 'ok' list. It was my first Marie Landry read and I'm not sure I'll go back for more.