Good morning, friends!
This week, I'm reviewing a book by sweet romance author, Lenora Worth. I may have jumped the gun a bit yesterday as I'd just started the book. I'll share why when we get to the review.
"One day I’m going
to marry you..." Jake Harper had said those words to Vanessa Conroy since
kindergarten, but after watching her parents’ bitter divorce and living with
her mother’s devastation, Vanessa made a promise to herself—she’s never getting
married. She’ll stay single and pursue her dream of being a ready-to-wear
fashion designer. In high school, Vanessa dated and broke up with every bad boy
in the book, while Jake remained her consistent buddy. He was her wingman, her
best friend, her go-to person for special occasions, but she held him at a
distance. Why ruin a wonderful friendship? On the night of their final prom,
Jake takes a risk and kisses her. Stunned by how right it feels, Vanessa rashly
blurts out a deal: if they’re still single at thirty, maybe she’ll marry him.
Now, thirteen years later, they’re back in Sweetheart Bay to be part of her
sister’s wedding. And they’re both still single at thirty. Vanessa begins to
see Jake in a new, more romantic light, but Jake, a successful architect living
in California, hasn’t said a word about their old pact. As family drama bubbles
and old feelings resurface, Vanessa must face the one possibility she’s always
run from: what if her true love has been standing beside her all along? Can she
and Jake find their happily-ever-after back on Sweetheart Bay?
The very opening of the story, and subsequent levels of school in the early stages of the book, were great. Onery Jake taunting Vanessa that he was going to marry her. In turn, Vanessa was adamant she was not going to marry - EVER! So much fun in this back and forth between the two characters and a great way to introduce them. This worked well between the two right up until prom night when they made a deal.
When both return for her sister's wedding, things still go pretty smoothly as we watch them work things out. That's where the story fell off into the tide for me.
Lenora Worth had a great story going then she brought in other circumstances in trying to explain why Vanessa was never going to marry. By the last quarter of the book I was losing interest, and I think the author was too. Multiple typos and editing issues began to show. For me, this added to the distractions from the secondary (and third) characters. I know where she was going with them, but her road got bumpy along the way.
That said, knowing what Lenora Worth was after doesn't make getting to the end of the story any easier. I'm giving, The Sweetheart Deal...
