So You Want to Marry Our Mom
Elaine HopperContemporary romance
Available from Amber Quill Press
ISBN: 978-60272-709-0
July 2010
| Jackie Duarte is a 47 year-old widow with four children, two boys and two girls. In order to make ends meet, she's become a writer, her genre, erotic romance. Her oldest daughter, Olivia, sends in an application for her mother to go on a reality show to find a mate, and her children will make the choice. Jackie already knows who she wants. Doug Applebaum, a plumber, is younger than her by several years and because he doesn't have much education, stops calling to give her space. When he discovers she's entered the contest, he inveigles a way to become a candidate. All through the process, he appears to be the worst choice and yet, the only one she is attracted to. Will they get together for the on-air spectacular wedding or not?
This book really tickled my funny bone. The author has taken every problem ever encountered by couples in the "yours, mine and ours" group, and turned it into a funny novel. The characters are engaging, if exaggerated, but then that's what comedy needs. Her children start out with being “monsters” but gradually, as time goes on, they more or less bond together and work for the outcome they want. A sparkling addition to the cast is that of the ghost of Vance, her late husband. Jackie has an ongoing conversation with him throughout the book, at first resenting his "help" and then later appreciating it. Vance doesn't like that she loves Doug, who was his best friend, but in the end finds himself agreeing with the children. While the scenes sometimes seem disjointed and appear to be simply one scene after another, rather than flowing easily into one another, the characters and the humor carry the story quite well. I enjoyed this book and would read this author again.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Jaye Leyel |
