Miss Lonely Hearts [Paperback]

Lots of banter back and forth between Jason (H) and Cassandra (h). I didn't connect with Cassandra. She was way to naive for me. The story, even though it is fiction, just didn't seem believable. Looking at the handcuffs on the cover one might expect a sizzling hot storyline but for me it never thoroughly heated up (especially given the amount of toys). Not a keeper for me.

The problem that I had with "Miss Lonely Hearts" wasn't the plot, really - though it's more than a little predictable and cliched as is most romantic light comedies, nor the sex, which was actually a highlight of the book, as it was written with both sizzle and fun, and I LOVE when an author remembers that sex can be fun. No, my primary issue with "Miss Lonely Hearts" was the fact that I couldn't relate at all to the heroine, Cassandra, and by the end, I was really tired of hearing how she was so afraid, not only because she has to be married by the time she's 28 thanks to her grandfather's archaic ideology (which Cassandra scoffs at, yet TOTALLY buys into), but because time was running out for her to have children and be a good wife. She is 27 years old!! That really put me off her character, and it was mentioned more than once. Hell, it was a major factor in the driving plot of the story.

Unfortunately, I said that was my primary issue with the book. It wasn't my only one. Another problem I had was the utter lack of depth in the plot or development of the emotional relationship between Cassandra and Jason (again, the sexual relationship was sexy and fun) and the really weird pacing. Everything happened at a snail's pace for the first few chapters of the book, then sped up to a blurry warp speed at the end. The middle was a muddle.

I can't say I liked the book, but I didn't hate it either - I did find Jason rather endearing, and I SO wish there'd been more flesh to this book, because I really would've liked to have spent more time with him going through the process of realizing that he WASN'T being had by Miss Lonely Hearts...and stumbling through trying to change gears at a much more realistic pace to get to his HEA.

And one final issue - I felt the "reveal" of the identity of Miss Lonely Hearts (by that point in the book, I didn't really care who it was) was...odd and a little disconcerting. Bordering on icky. Sorry.

"Miss Lonely Hearts" is a romantic comedy by Charlene Teglia, published by Samhain. The version I read is trade paperback size, $12, and has just under 200 reading pages. I'm a little wiggy about the price for the read, but otherwise did enjoy this little gem of a romance. This is NOT erotic romance. That's not to say the sex isn't hot (cause it is), just that it's pretty 'vanilla' and there's not a whole lot of it. Instead there's more story, which I liked.

Cassandra's been dumped...AGAIN. This time she's positive her uncle is behind it, since if she doesn't marry before her 28th birthday (coming up REAL soon) her inheritance of a cool three mil will pass to him. Of course, maybe the fact that her intended is now engaged to her uncle's daughter is just coincidence? In any event, Cassandra needs a husband quickly! And she's ready to settle down, have a family again, some kids to go with her mutt of a dog...is that too much to ask? Maybe she just needs to get out of rainy Seattle? So on a night involving a friend and alcohol, Cassandra decides to become a mail-order Alaskan bride.

Jason is a former gambler who won the bar he currently owns and runs in a poker game. It came at just the right time and he's enjoying his life in Alaska and the close-knit community. So when not one, not two, but THREE of his bachelor buds get burned by a blonde mail-order bride, Jason decides to dangle himself as bait and prosecute her for mail fraud. If only the beautiful blonde he's been corresponding with didn't seem so...nice...and really really hot...and just about perfect for him!

There were lots of things to like in "Miss Lonely Hearts". The clever banter, the hot sexual attraction, the wonderfully ugly dog, and the hilarious secondary cast (which I would have to say includes the town itself). But I got the feeling this story had been pared down quite a bit; either that or Ms Teglia added in lots of things that never got mentioned again and I felt left hanging a bit. Like the whole uncle and inheritance situation; that was used as impetus for the whole mail-order bride thing, but then never really followed up. And the secondary cast seemed to only be there for the opening scene and wedding and then dropped off the face of the earth! And why not more about the dog? He was one of my favorites!

Ah well. That's why she's the author and I'm just the reader. Don't get me wrong, I still liked the story and would certainly recommend it for my friends who I know like spicy humorous romance. It could just be that I wanted more for my twelve bucks :)