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When Lavender
“Vinnie” Hart moves from a small town in Kansas to the Big Apple, she
finds herself unprepared for life in the big city. Her first job lasts
less than an hour and she has little more than pocket change to tide her
over until she finds another. Worse yet, she’s only in New York City
to help her 12-year-old brother adjust to life at the gifted boarding
school that he was lucky enough to be accepted into, and she doesn’t
want to disappoint him. Vinnie’s on her own – alone, with no friends,
no family, no one to count on but herself. She doesn’t even have a
shoulder to cry on, in view of the fact that her mother back in Kansas
is recovering from mental illness, making it pointless to call her.
Vinnie’s roommate is no help either, with her wild tendencies to sit
around naked, chanting and eating animal hearts. Vinnie finds herself
getting desperate. So desperate that she applies for the job of dog
sitter.
Nick Wright is the
epitome of a New York City GQ male: smart, rich and sexy. Only one
thing could possibly ruin his image, and that’s the sissy Doberman that
he’s just inherited from his beloved, but recently deceased, favorite
aunt. Feeling that he owes his aunt for showing him the only affection
he received as a child, Nick takes the dog home to his classy
no-dogs-allowed apartment. Being a bit of an eccentric, his aunt has
even gone so far as to leave a detailed list of the dog’s needs, and
full doggy wardrobe for the pesky beast. Daffodil the Doberman is to
be pampered, petted and pandered to – and pandering is just something
that Nick doesn’t do very well, especially for a creature as needy as
this dog.
He hopes to solve
his problems by hiring a dog sitter, but when the latest applicant shows
up, all he’s able to think about is how she fills out her ratty pair of
jeans. Nick already has a girlfriend – well, sort of – and he has no
room in his life for a distraction. Willing to give her a chance,
despite her appeal and frequent slips of the tongue, Nick hires her on
the spot.
What follows is a
delightful, funny and romantic adventure. Nick is an astonishingly
well-written character, with depth and that special charisma that makes
for a perfect romance hero. He’s the type of man that every
woman dreams of finding. Vinnie’s character is the perfect foil for
Nick: intelligent, compassionate, adventurous and independent. She’s
the yin to his yang.
Karen Kendall has
done a fabulous job of weaving together a whole lot of romance, a hint
of mystery and side of humor. Her fast-paced writing style is very
unique, her storyline ingenious. I loved the underlying messages that
she managed to cleverly slip in to the story. All in all, Karen
Kendall’s Someone Like Him was a delightfully fun, sweet novel -
a good choice for anyone looking for a first-rate read.
Reviewed by Janean
Nusz for The Road to Romance
January 1, 2004 |
