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Larissa and Drew’s
once-perfect marriage is on the rocks. Drew is consumed by his work,
spending all his waking hours in the office, and even Larissa’s most
heart-felt pleas can’t change his muddled priorities. Devastated when
Drew puts a damper on her plans for children--this, after forgetting yet
another anniversary!--Larissa decides it’s over. Too late, Drew
finally sees the light and hurries home.
But fate conspires
against him. When Drew’s car crashes on a snowy road, he wakes up to
find himself transported to a strange new world, and a strange new
life–some kind of parallel, past reality in which he and Larissa
never met. According to Shari, his new spirit guide/motivational
counselor, Drew has been given a novel opportunity to restore the love
he and Larissa shared at the beginning of their relationship. He must
find Larissa and get her to love him again within a month–otherwise
he’ll die.
The two leads are an
odd match: Larissa is a plump, nervous girl who runs a bookshop and
lacks self-confidence, while Drew is a dark and classically handsome man
who knows--almost--all the right moves and lines to seduce her. In fact
Drew’s challenge to woo Larissa in a month would likely have been more
interesting if Larissa put up some resistance beyond worrying about her
weight and wishing Drew wasn’t just so gosh-darn perfect. Of course,
they are destined-to-be-together, but where’s the challenge--and
excitement!--in romancing someone when most of the ground work has
already been done for you?
Adams’ writing
doesn’t exactly sizzle off the page–there are a few explicit sex
scenes, but I didn’t find them terribly memorable. Perhaps the best and
most original of them occurred when Larissa and Drew get in a quick--but
cute--fumble in the cinema. As there’s nothing very risqué in this book,
it’s more suited to readers who like their erotica pretty vanilla.
The supernatural
aspects of the plot become increasingly annoying throughout the book;
Shari, especially, is guilty of making vague comments about
‘supernatural’ matters that remain unresolved at the book’s end. Almost
all questions about what is actually going on are brushed off with some
variation of, ‘That’s too long to tell you now,’ or ‘No, it’ll be too
hard to explain.’ Although despite this, the book’s big twist is still
painfully predictable.
Minor complaints
aside, this is an easy, quick book to read–and if you’re willing to
forgive the occasional frustrations of the plot, you may enjoy this
novella.
Reviewed by R. J.
Astruc, The Road to Romance
June 6, 2006 |
