All romance books (well, most) require a suspension of belief. How else could we account for the gorgeous, rich duke falling for the shy, stammering girl who hides in the corner? Or the impossibly muscled billionaire seeking out the new girl in the office? At some level, most romance novels are an escape. And that is why I like them. Whether a vampire, law enforcement officer, or billionaire is the hero of the story—I don’t care. But, sometimes, my credulity is strained nearly to the breaking point and I notice. Whatever the situation in a book, I feel as though it is the author’s job to suspend my credulity. At some point, The Look of Love by Bella Andre, failed in its mission to do that. While I enjoyed the book as escapist fluff, I was not able to completely turn off that little voice in the back of my head that said, “Aww, c’mon! Really?”
Chloe Peterson is on the run from her abusive ex-husband. With little money and no specific plan for the future, she takes off in her clunker car. Unfortunately for her, the weather is uncooperative for a dash into the night, and she crashes into a ditch. But extremely lucky girl—Chase Sullivan comes to her rescue. My little voice started to squeak a little at this.
Chase is one of a large family of eight siblings. Nearly all of these people are impossibly gorgeous and have jobs that are entirely fabulous. Our hero is a photographer. Samplings of his siblings’ professions are movie star, race car driver, and professional athlete. Chase decided a month ago that he was entirely sick of superficial relationships with woman. Yep, he has been celibate for a month. But he is ready to throw that out the window and have some fun with his brother Marcus’ assistant. She is naked and waiting for him back at the guesthouse.
Of course, Chase rescues Chloe and takes her back to take care of her. And he dispatches the naked woman posthaste! But Chloe, even though she is on the run from an abusive husband, takes all of three days to fall in love with Chase. Chase knows practically instantly that Chloe is the one. Chloe, however, is not so sure that men are worth the trouble. Never mind that Chase is nearly perfect—well mannered, thoughtful, and backs off when he is told. But, eventually, (three days later!) Chase wears her down and they ride off into the sunset. My little voice was complaining pretty loudly at this point: “Seriously?”
Most of the conflict in this novel is internal, though the bad guy does make an appearance dangerously close to the end of the book. For someone who should be emotionally scarred, Chloe engages in a lot of steamy romps in the sheets with her rescuer! My little voice was going haywire at this point.
Despite all of the romance cliches in this book, I do have to confess that I enjoyed it—when I wasn't ready to throw it against a wall. It was fast, very hot, and mindless entertainment.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Regina
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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
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