After the stupendous success of ‘For Better
For Worse’, which got picked by Kelly Ripa’s book club last year, Carole
Matthews is back again with yet another crazy and cutesy little romantic comedy, ‘Bare
Necessity’.
Emily Miller, a schoolteacher, is a wreck. She breaks up with her
boyfriend of many years, Declan, when she discovers that the dastard had plastered racy
photographs of her wearing a wicked little Santa costume, which bares her saucy bottom, on
the internet for all the world and its perverts to drool over. Declan’s dot com
business is fast crumbling and he’d discovered that smut is the only thing for sells
and deciding to cash in on it, he uses photos taken during some erotic horseplay with
Emily. Needless to say, this cuts no ice with Emily, and she storms off to her good friend
Cara’s, where she makes the guest bedroom her home, while crying bucket of tears and
trying to drown her sorrow with copious amounts of alcohol. But no alcohol-induced
numbness can shield her from the fact that she’s lost her privacy (perhaps forever!),
her house (which Declan had heavily mortgaged) and her bank balance.
Inadvertently and through Cara, the newspaper she works for, the ‘Hampstead
Observer’, gets hold of this news, and soon Emily and her cheeky cheeks star on
the front page, and overnight she becomes a global notoriety! Naturally, the next thing
she loses is her job. And while Emily’s world collapses around her, her friend Cara,
who’s into spells, yoga, aromatherapy, chakras and everything else New Age, finally
finds the man of her dreams in fellow co-worker and newspaper photographer, Adam. But Adam
is having his own personal crisis. And then Declan turns up again like a bad
penny….who will be his victim this time – Emily or the susceptible Cara?!
Emily’s desperate situation seems to call for desperate remedies…..but can this
former schoolmarm shed her inhibitions and take advantage of her newfound infamy? A
frustrated Cara then decides to channel the power of the universe to her own advantage and
casts a love spell…..little do these two friends know, that such things are not to be
taken lightly. What then ensues is chaos … absolute chaos!!
Carole Matthews has made a name of herself lately with her innovative
stories, uninhibited storylines filled with comedy and wit. This hilarious romp about the
life and adventures of Emily and her semi-loony friend Cara is another of Ms.
Matthews’ successful efforts. The story, which is based in UK, will nevertheless
enchant the US readers because the theme is not only very current, but also universal.
This riotous story has an absolutely perfect cast of characters –
Emily, the schoolmarm with a naughty face; Cara, her New Age friend
who’s looking for ‘divine’ love and she may very possibly get it (!); Adam,
the photographer who’s too nice to be true at times; Chris, the office pervert; Toff,
who’s too rich for his own good; and of course, Declan, the sleaze, and many other
fascinating and realistic, but funny characters. The story develops in a series of one
shocker after another for poor Emily, and there is never a dull moment. Comedy is as
integral a part of this book as the romance, and the sparkling prose is simply too
delightful for words! Great dialogue, even better characters, and an excellent plot make ‘Bare
Necessity’ an absolute necessary read for everybody!
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to Romance
June 4, 2003 |
