ADVENTURES OF A SALSA GODDESS

Forty-one-year-old Samantha Jacobs takes on a daunting challenge—finding a husband in the least singles-friendly city in the nation.

A study has just been released stating that a single woman over 40 has practically no chance of marrying. Furthermore, Minneapolis is the least likely spot for an unmarried woman to land a husband. The editor of a glossy women’s magazine, Trés Chic, sees a unique opportunity to sell magazines and concocts a hair-brained scheme to send her lifestyle editor, Samantha, off to find an enviable husband in infertile lands. Samantha hesitantly accepts the challenge and packs her bags for a Summer in Minnesota. In her quest, she tries every dating option available, including: video-dating, speed-dating, the Internet, newspapers ads and singles volleyball. Hornak does an admirable job capturing the desperation pervading the mature singles scene. Samantha’s dates are quite disappointing: they lie, they neglect to telephone, they lack social graces. Things look pretty grim until Samantha meets a hot prospect through the Single No More dating service. Her match seems too good to be true—he’s handsome, successful and affectionate. Hornak works hard to keep things lively. Just as Samantha envisions herself walking down the aisle with this catch, a juicy complication arises in the guise of a sultry Latin dance instructor, who is all wrong for the assignment. He’s younger, uneducated and possesses none of the trappings of success that Trés Chic readers will expect from this contrived wedding arrangement. Samantha has to decide between listening to her head or her heart. But it’s only on the dance floor, swaying to a salsa beat, that the feels real passion.

A compelling concept, a husband hunt in hostile territory, is weakened by a formulaic plot and a predictable ending.