2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Awkward writing style, and I didn't like the hero, November 9, 2007
This review is from: Christmas Magic (Christmas Arch) (Harlequin Special Edition) (Paperback)
From the back cover:
The pets who saved Christmas...
"What kind of cat burglar brings her kitties?" groused tough state policeman Mike Burnette. Then Mike learned that his irrespressible intruder was actually Casey Crawford, his new--unwelcome--housemate...for the entire holiday season. Bah, humbug!
The rugged Scrooge warily tolerated caroling Casey's enthusiastic Christmas spirit, and stared in disbelief as she and her feline companions mesmerized his dog, enchanted his neighbours and even tried to "transform" the resident Grinch! Mike knew there was no such thing as love or happiness for a lifetime. But somehow, with Casey cuddled beside him, it was hard not to wish upon his special star...
And my review:
Okay, forget character development. Forget backstories. Forget explaining anything. Just leap right into the story, and barrel full steam ahead. That's what the author does here. While I don't like books to spend too much time "setting the stage" before the story gets going, a reader should be able to figure out what's going on without reading a page three times. Unfortunately, that was the case here.
This story read like a very rough first draft, not a finished novel. There were a lot of interesting ideas, but everything was just kind of thrown together without rhyme or reason. The focus of the story jumps all over the place, and there's no setup of everything. I felt like I was watching the thoughts of someone with ADD, because there was no focus or direction. Everything was all plot and no character development. Often it was all dialogue and no prose. It was very hard to follow; there was just no flow to the words.
Also, the hero wasn't very likeable. I guess he was supposed to be tortured over an old relationship that ended badly, but since the author didn't bother with any backstory, the reader is left to guess from what little he says. I really didn't like the way he immediately and continuously insulted the heroine's boyfriend (whom he'd never met). It came across as childish. What, is the heroine not allowed to have another man in her life, even ten minutes after she meets the hero? Was he jealous or something? Or just petty? Because that's how he came across.
I recognize that this is a Silhouette romance, and not the book of the year, but most Silhouette/Harlequin books are easier to follow and more enjoyable. While I think this book had some good ideas (legends of ghosts that may or may not be true, animals with distinct personalities, eccentric secondary characters), but it was marred by the writing style. I think there was an enjoyable story in there trying to get out, but I wasn't willing to slog through the writing to find it. I doubt I'll be trying this author again. Not recommended by this reader; there are better Christmas romances out there.
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