Regional ra-ra fiction.
A Charleston, South Carolina, wife transplanted to New York finds her new husband is not the man she thought she married in Ocean’s scanty, forgettable debut.
From the get-go of this fairly transparent novel, narrator Carly Stone’s husband, Robert, is set up as the villain: Robert disappears to exchange money at the bank on their honeymoon in Belize (actually opening an offshore account) and within a year is discovered sleeping with the divorced neighbor. Carly is a professional mediator in NYC, living in a big house in Duchess County, but runs back home to Mamma and Daddy when Robert—again!—is revealed naked with the aforementioned neighbor in her hot tub. Back in Charleston, where everyone knows Carly and her twin sister, Jenny, who usually lives in Atlanta with her family but has dropped back home to bemoan her own marital woes, Carly learns of a big construction company’s plans to take over the lot across the street from Daddy’s hardware store and set up a rival, mega Handyman’s Depot, certain to put his business under. The land, apparently, belonged to Robert’s stepparents, who had initially agreed to sell to Carly’s father—and yet the land was scooped up by Protter Construction and Development instead. Carly puts her legal wits to good use, and attempts to throw up some hurdles to the land’s development, in the form of remnants of a historical wall surrounding the city, Indian graves, and preservation of delicate nests of red-cockaded woodpeckers. Naturally, the scion of Protter Construction turns out to a hunk, Trent, who has to be won over to Carly’s environmental cause, all the while Robert falls farther from villain to demon. Ocean is Carolina native, and peoples her novel with some eye-rolling characterizations, e.g., Carly’s mother “epitomizes the true Southern woman [who] stood tall, embraced custom, and would never be seen in public wearing something as disdainful as blue jeans or sweatpants.” (12) Stock characters, uninspiring plot.
Regional ra-ra fiction.Pub Date: July 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-312-33669-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dunne/St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005
Typical Macomber holiday romantic fare: short and sweet and as much a part of the season for some readers as cookies and...
Chicago society-page columnist Carrie Slayton wants to find and interview reclusive author Finn Dalton to prove her credibility as a real journalist; she doesn’t expect to fall in love with him, jeopardizing both her heart and her career.
Carrie Slayton yearns to write meatier stories, and her editor offers her a challenge: find and interview best-selling, reclusive author Finn Dalton, and she can have her pick of assignments. Determined, Carrie makes real progress, tracking down his birth certificate, then his mother, then the man himself. Basically drop-shipped by an Alaskan bush pilot to his cabin’s doorstep, she is met by an angry author and an Arctic blizzard. Finn may be crotchety, but he’s not inhumane, and he can hardly leave her outside in the snow. As the two get to know each other, they realize they may have more in common than either expected, and despite their icy beginnings, they warm up to each other. After two snowbound days, Carrie heads back to Chicago and her job, but neither Carrie nor Finn is ready to say goodbye, and the two begin a long-distance romance. Meanwhile, despite enough material to write a story, Carrie buries the piece, believing Finn’s trust in her is more valuable than any article. The two are stuck on each other, but the people around them are more worried about their differences than their similarities, and they’ll either have to figure out a way to be together or end it completely. Set in snowy Alaska, Chicago and Seattle during the Christmas season, Macomber fulfills fans’ expectations with this romantic holiday confection. As with many Macomber books, the pace is relaxed, the story soft and fuzzy. Certain details miss the mark, and sometimes the story feels told more than shown, but the author will likely enthrall her usual audience with this quick, simple love story of two opposites attracting and struggling to make it work.
Typical Macomber holiday romantic fare: short and sweet and as much a part of the season for some readers as cookies and candy canes.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-345-52889-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
A sweet, somewhat engaging Regency romance hindered by exasperating character choices.
A young woman in desperate straits hopes a house party will find her sister a happy match with their host, but she doesn’t expect to fall in love herself.
After the death of their mother, Clara and Amelia Moore are left in the begrudging and belligerent care of their stepfather, Lord Gray, whose health is failing. The sisters’ future is precarious, since he’s informed Amelia that once he’s died, his family won’t support them. Their hopes rise when Sir Ronald Demsworth—Clara's would-be suitor from their recent season—invites them to a house party. Amelia keeps their dire situation from her sister, hopeful things will turn out. A match between Clara and Sir Ronald looks promising, but Georgiana Wood, another guest, seems set on Sir Ronald herself, and her brother, Peter, is doing everything he can to help his sister win their host's regard. In order to keep each other from interfering, Clara and Peter agree to spend more time together, yet as an attraction grows between them, Georgiana’s behavior toward Ronald becomes increasingly assuming, putting Amelia’s friendship with Peter at odds with her support for her sister. When an opportunity arises for Amelia to make a good but loveless match, she must decide between security and love, especially once Georgiana goes too far and risks everyone’s happiness. Austen-esque themes abound in this historical romance of manners and masks, yet Amelia’s first-person narrative undermines her character, since she’s continually justifying her decisions and then changing her mind or her behavior a few pages later, while the absolute lack of communication among the characters is frustrating.
A sweet, somewhat engaging Regency romance hindered by exasperating character choices.Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62972-734-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
