Almost Perfect (McCloud Brothers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Patricia Rice (Author)

Book Description

Series: McCloud Brothers | Publication Date: February 26, 2002

Bestselling author Patricia Rice shares her most treasured novel yet– a warm and witty romantic journey of a single mother running out of second chances, and the irresistible man who dares her to believe in miracles. . . .

Celebrated cartoonist Jared McCloud is plumb out of laughs. So he rents a secluded beach house for the fall to unblock his creative juices–and ends up falling for the reluctant landlady whose beautiful green-eyed glare reads like a “No Trespassing” sign against the world.

Cleo Alyssum isn’t exactly a recluse, though living on an island and avoiding people aren’t the actions of a social butterfly. Cleo simply has more important things to do than to chat with the sexy, artistic, impossibly bullheaded hunk living in her guest house. Yet somehow Jared and his devilish charm inch their way into her life, reaching the warm places her cold exterior cleverly hides. Will Cleo open her heart to a man who falls short of her expectations? After all, it wasn’t her intention to fall for someone who is almost perfect. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this uneven offering from seasoned romance author Rice (All a Woman Wants, etc.), cartoonist Jared McCloud longs for two months of peace and quiet so he can finish his animated screenplay. A remote seaside cottage in South Carolina seems the perfect place to kick his creative juices into gear, and it would have been if not for his eccentric landlady, Cleo Alyssum, whose own quest for privacy prompts her to arm the grounds around her house with live peacocks, fake skeletons and screaming sirens. Cleo has a good reason for wanting to keep a low profile; she's on probation for shoplifting, possession and substance abuse, and she needs to stay clean and sober in order to regain custody of her young son, Matty. The story heats up when a hurricane forces Cleo and Jared into the usual steamy romance, but takes a dark turn as the pair try to protect a couple of abused teens from their dysfunctional mother and her sexually deviant boyfriend. While all the ingredients for a good Southern novel are in place here (sex, violence, humor and ambience), wooly characterizations and a confusing, unexplained conclusion involving ancient human bones found on Cleo's property will leave the reader wondering how all these plot fragments connect.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Former drug addict and ex-con Cleo has moved to a small South Carolina town to start over and regain custody of her nine-year-old son, Matty, using a small inheritance to purchase some beachfront property, including a ramshackle house. When famed cartoonist Jared McCloud invades her property in hopes of renting the beach house, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to him. Despite Cleo's quarrelsome ways, they strike a deal: Jared can stay in the house in exchange for fixing it up and staying out of Cleo's way. Jared sees past Cleo's self-defensive attitude and is enchanted. When the two ride out a hurricane together and help two teenage neighbors out of a dangerous situation, Cleo learns to trust again, and it isn't long before cantankerous Cleo and quick-witted Jared have fallen for each other. But how can Cleo, who believes that Jared is much too good for her, allow herself to ruin the life Jared has worked so hard to create? Rice's latest is perfectly captivating. Megan Kalan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449006034
• ISBN-13: 978-0449006030
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,661,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An anti-heroine to root for and a hero who's worth the risk, March 9, 2002

By 

Nicole Miale - See all my reviews

This review is from: Almost Perfect (McCloud Brothers) (Mass Market Paperback)

Almost Perfect is a story which steps on a lot of taboos and twists some conventions into pretzels. I'm a supporter of all trailblazing, whether it's 100% successful or not, so I really liked this book.

This book picks up where Ms. Rice's Impossible Dreams left off (I recommend reading them in order, but it's not necessary), with a heroine who is possibly the least heroic character you could imagine. At least, so it seems.

Cleo Alyssum is a reclusive recovering addict who has lost her son's custody because of her past history and is struggling to rebuild her life so she can be worthy of having him with her again. She has zero interest in men, little interest in most people at all, and really just wants to be left alone to renovate her isolated house on the South Carolina coast. This is an anti-romance heroine for the ages and I liked her a lot, even when she did a couple really stupid things (they're in character, so I forgive her).

Enter the hero, Jared McCloud, who is a down-on-his-luck cartoonist with a history of swimming in shallow emotional waters and running when the water starts to get deep. At first he just wants to rent Cleo's beach house. Then he really wants Cleo too, who wants absolutely nothing to do with him. General conflict and mayhem ensue, including a hurricane.

Despite having a cartoonist for a hero, this is not an airy, light book. There are many funny scenes and moments, but this novel deals with some major issues, and for the most part handles them sensitively and honestly. To me, Cleo is a fascinating character of great depth, and Jared surpassed my expectations by turning into a man worthy of her trust. I found the emotional journey these two took - along with the two abused/neglected teenagers they take under their wings - to be affecting and real.

I've read several of Ms. Rice's previous novels, and Almost Perfect is my new favorite work by her. As Cleo and Jared learn, the risks in becoming emotionally involved with each other (and others) are great, but so are the rewards. It a lesson we can all stand to think about now and then.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Redemption, November 10, 2010

By 

Becky Barker "Romance Author" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Almost Perfect (Carolina Series) (Kindle Edition)

I love reading about characters who pull themselves out of really bad situations and thrive in their new lives. It's even sweeter when they can find true love.

4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed it!, January 12, 2012

By 

Lori Caswell "dollycas" (FALL RIVER, WI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Almost Perfect (Carolina Series) (Kindle Edition)

Cleo Alyssum has moved to a small seaside town in South Carolina to try to get her life in order. She has a bit of a checkered past. Cleo is on probation and her sister has custody of her son Matty. She has purchased the local hardware store and her past is a secret to her customers. Cleo has befriended a neighbor woman who has her own problems, if for no other reason to help out the woman's teenage kids. She just has to keep her nose clean and she will get her son back in time for Christmas. The last thing she needs in her life is a man.

Along comes Jared McCloud wanting to rent the beach house on the property. He even offers to pay for repairs and upgrades to the house. Cleo is an extremely private person, she agrees to let him rent the place as long as he respects her privacy. Their lives quickly become intertwined with her holding back and him trying to push forward. Can they have a future in spite of her past?

Dollycas's Thoughts
I really enjoyed this story. Cleo is a woman trying to turn her life around and it isn't easy especially because she has shut everyone out. Jared is the man that just may be able to break through her barriers while knocking down a few of his own. Their interplay is entertaining and captivating.

Cleo is also very unconventional with her "zoo" and her wonderful inventions to keep trespassers off her property.

This is more than love story, it does have romance and a few sexy scenes, but there is also humor, drama and even a bit of mystery. This may be my first Patricia Rice novel but it definitely is not my last. I have added the entire Carolina Series to my wish list.