The challenge was then thrown down to Miss Dove, Miss Car and Miss Kirsty* to read one of the three books I had managed to avoid.
*Kirsty doesn't blog, but the link goes to a wonderful article she wrote for Mamamia.
Today, is Miss Dove's review of:
So over to you Miss Dove!
There’s nothing quite like the
excitement of an unexpected parcel waiting in the mailbox. A quick
check of the back revealed it was from Kylie, who had mentioned a
week or so prior that she had a parcel for both Car and myself. A tempting little
book shaped box. Maybe something to do with our Pride and Prejudice
challenge perhaps? Whipping it open with the aid of some scissors, I
saw some Ferrero Rochers and a little box of Guylian, framing a note.
Awww, thought I, she’s sent some loving to the sweet-tooth pregnant
woman. HA. Ha de ha ha ha. While I’m there drooling over the
choccies and gushing about the fabulous taste in friends I seem to
have, the evil Miss Kylie is busy twirling her moustache. Lifting up
the note, I honest to goodness burst out laughing. This was no
“you’re a sweetie” care package. This was the Little Care
Package of Horrors.
I laughed for a good five minutes, and knew I’d brought this on myself. A while back, Kylie had asked if a certain book counted as romance, and while I agreed it would, I also suggested I would pay good money to see her read and review a Mills and Boon on the blog. And look where that got me – now I’m the proud owner of The Children’s Doctor’s Special Proposal (by Kate Hardy).
A special bride for a special
doctor – New consultant paediatrician Rhys Morgan is everything the
hospital grapevine promised. He is also Katrina’s boss, but she
thinks she’s safe from Rhys’s charms. Until they discover a
shared commitment to their little patients – and a heartfelt
passion for each other. Rhys has never believed in happy families,
yet Katrina opens his eyes to what love and family really means –
and her courage and vulnerability create a fierce desire to protect
her. Enough, perhaps, to make Rhys risk his heart with the most
special proposal of all…
There’s nothing quite like the
blurb of a category romance, is there? Anyway. Let’s cut the
cheese. Most of these types of books follow a reasonably predictable
format. Of course, in this case, we have the enigmatic hero who is
anti-social and of unknown relationship status. We have the "faint
hint" of an accent, and "an incredibly sensual mouth".
Oh and the heroine who has sworn off workplace romances after the
last one went bust. We can all see where this is going, right? And of
course, what would a first chapter be without the handshake that left
both with a strange fission of awareness?
But all joking aside, it was a sweet
story, nice and light and fluffy, and missing the angst which seems
to be a common inclusion. You know the type. Boy meets girl, they
fall in love, hook up, tragic happenstance/misunderstanding drives
them apart until the figure out it was just tragic
happenstance/misunderstanding, and have epic make-up cuddles.
Charmingly, this one missed the OTT drama – not that it was all
rainbows and unicorns, but it was nice.
A M&B/category romance is never
going to be a cerebral brain teaser that moves the reader to campaign
for social betterment. Going in, I knew what to expect, and I got it.
A nice light bit of fluff I could knock over in a couple of hours on
a Friday night. A bit of escapism, a giggle and chat with some
friends, and nothing too taxing on the old noggin after a big day of
kid wrangling. While it’s not my first choice of reading matter, it
serves its purpose, and I found it quite readable. Three stars.
So there you have it. No where near as scathing as my review of my romance, but still not enough to make me want to read it!
Now I wait with baited breath (as I am sure you all do) for what Miss Car and Miss Kirsty have to say about their romances!