Customer Reviews

Gone with a Handsomer Man

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Teeny finds her first cooking class is canceled and heads home to be with her fiance. Unfortunately for Teeny, her fiance wasn't exactly expecting her home that evening. An unfortunate series of events follows, and Teeny finds herself incarcerated and alone -- and that's only the first chapter... This book had me interested right from the start. The crazy, over the top characters, worried me at first. I wasn't sure that I would care about them enough to continue, but I did want to see what was going to happen next. I am glad that I kept going. After the initial introduction of characters: Aunt Dora, Bing, Natalie, Coop and the rest, I became invested in finding out how Teeny would handle all her challenges. At times the book reminded me of Carl Hiassen, other times Janet Evanovich, and other times just a fun old chick-lit novel. If you are looking for a quick read that will keep you smiling, this is it. There is romance, mystery, deceit, and wit. Once I got started, I had a hard time putting it down. There was a depth to the characters that surprised and delighted me. There were some interesting plot twists that made the story all the more unpredictable and enjoyable. This was the first book I have read by this author, and I will definitely look for more.

I loved the heroine of this book. Teeny is a great, well-developed character. I liked that she had little character quirks, such as her recipe writing and her less-than-perfect grammar. The flow of the story worked very well and kept me reading. The resolution was not what I expected, and it's always good to be kept guessing at a murder mystery. But this story is not completely mired in the mystery element, as other well-developed characters move the story forward.

Really, I loved this book until the last few pages. The ending seemed very forced and contrived toward the setup of a sequel book. But the story itself had already had a resolution, so it didn't ruin the entire story. It was still a good read for me.

I'm not sure if it's cool for a guy to admit it, but I'm a Janet Evanovich fan. Her writing is off the wall and unpredictable, her characters are insanely quirky, the humour often provokes laugh-out-loud moments, the pace is rapid, and the romance is present but usually understated. Since authors tend to endorse books similar to their own, when I saw Janet's name on the cover, I had high expectations for this book. Probably too high.

Teeny is a woman who thought she had her life on track for happiness and success, only to find things spinning rapidly out of control. She comes home unexpectedly to find her wealthy fiancé in the back yard with two women, starkers all. Her peach flinging revenge lands her in jail, and when he turns up dead shortly after, she becomes the prime suspect. Fortunately, by the most incredible of coincidences, her hometown first-love -- whom she hasn't seen in years -- just happens to be in the bar she stumbles into, just happens to be a lawyer, just happens to be between jobs, and just happens to have become recently available. Sort of. He takes on the case, and with the help of his wife and P.I., sets out to protect Teeny while clearing her name.

There is some quirkiness here, but it's as uneven as it is charming. Teeny loves to cook and bake, which is fine, but all of the Food Network references become a distraction. The humour is woven throughout but rarely rises above mildly amusing. Romance is in the driver's seat, not quite to the point of being a Harlequin novel, but it drags the pace down to a crawl. If you're looking for a Janet substitute and don't mind forgoing the romance, Carl Hiaasen would be a better choice.

The other reviewers have covered the plot numerous times, so I won't go too much into that. All I will say, is that I adored the way Michael Lee West wrote these lovable, quirky, fault-ridden yet, charming Southern characters! I grew-up in the South and there wasn't one character in this book (Miss Dora, Teeny, Coop, Red, Ava- etc.) that I felt I didn't know at some time in my life! To me this book was just fabulous. This is the first time I've ever read any of Michael Lee West's work and it definitely won't be the last. Due to the ending sentence of this book, I hope to be reading a sequel very shortly!

This is a very quick-moving mystery, that doesn't make it too easy to figure out who the murderer is. I like the fact that the author doesn't give too much away too soon. Also, Teeny is a traditional Southern cook who whips up some yummy (& some dangerous)recipes. I enjoyed Teeny's forays into the kitchen with her family cookbook. It made Teeny a character that I could really identify with and enjoy.

Usually, I'm a bit conservative when it comes to lots of cursing in books and this book does have its fair share of cursing. For some reason in most books the cursing comes along at all the wrong times of the story and really doesn't add to the plot. In this book most of the cursing seems to be "natural" as far as the personality of the characters & the mood/setting of the conversations between characters. It doesn't seem as forced as it does in many books I've read.

The way I judge a book? When I have to put it down, do I long to pick it up again and start reading? "Gone With a Handsomer Man" made me want to read it again and again! Hands down 5 stars!

If you're reading this Ms. West, thank you for a book us traditional Southern gals can enjoy! Hope to see a sequel soon! PS Love your blog as well.

Gone With a Handsomer Man was highly recommended to me by another librarian so I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read it for review. I enjoy Southern fiction and this book sounded like it would be a good blend of humor and romance along with the mystery. In part, I was right. There were some moments when I laughed out loud at Teeny's escapades and I loved reading about her eccentric family. However even though there is plenty of romance, I found myself disappointed by Teeny's relationship with Cooper (though things could improve in book two). I found it hard to believe that he was the love of her life and how quickly they reconnect since she has just come from a relationship with major betrayal. I also didn't buy into the motivations behind Bing's murder. Still, this is a fun book because of its quirky characters and over-the-top humorous situations. I also really enjoyed reading about Charleston, a city I hope to visit someday and I liked all the food descriptions though some of the recipes in the Templeton Family Cookbook should never be made (especially the ones with poisonous ingredients!). In a way, Teeny reminded me of Sookie Stackhouse minus the vampires and weres. If you are looking for a nice light read to take with you on your summer vacation, consider adding Gone With a Handsomer Man to your beach bag. If however, you want a really good mystery or stirring romance, you might want to look elsewhere.

I read a lot and only offer reviews (for the most part) for books that I really like or really don't like. I definitely enjoyed this one. It's quite a departure from the author's earlier works, which were eloquently written and realistic and wonderful. "Gone with a Handsomer Man" is delightfully UNrealistic and fun to read. There's nothing heavy about this novel, but if you're in the mood to be entertained, go for it! You will find it's "peachy".

I purchased this book for my kindle a bit apprehensive. I wasn't certain I could get into the murder mystery type novel. But this book is far from your average murder mystery. The characters are lovable and West does an awesome job keeping the laughs coming. The ending is quite the twist and will have you craving more! Just saw that the sequel will be release next April---can't come soon enough!!

I didn't realize when I got this book that it would be a romantic, murder-mystery type of book. It was great!! A fun story throughout the whole book. Very enjoyable characters and twists to the story. I love the food thrown in with the story (I love cooking and well, love to eat). I couldn't put the book down, I enjoyed it so much. Hope a second book comes out as I would love to read more of the story!

Gone with a Handsomer Man is a book in search of a premise. Is it a murder mystery? Yes it is that. Is it a southern story about quirky southerners? Yes it is that. Is it a contemporary romance? Yes to that question as well.

So the book is a southern murder mystery, about quirky southerners in Charleston, SC, and there is some romance thrown in the mix. The story is about Teeny Templeton who is soon to be married to a southern bad boy named Bing. Along the way, Teeny is arrested for throwing peaches at her fiance and a host of other women when she finds him playing naked badminton with the women.

Soon thereafter, Teeny is suspected of killing her fiance. Enter a lawyer, named Cooper O'Malley, who represents Teeny in the murder case. Cooper just happens to be Teeny's long lost love from high school. Teeny has never forgotten Cooper and is still in love with him.

There are alot of hijinks in the story until the real murderer is found. The character development was just not there for me.
However, not a bad read. Just don't expect too much from the book. The ending leaves the way open for another book I guess but I felt cheated.

This book was just what I needed. I can't remember when I have laughed out loud as much! You have got a wonderful heroine in Teeny that you can root for, a terrific who done it mystery and characters as southern fried as chicken and peach pie! You will not just love Teeny Templeton, you won't want this book to end. I didn't. I was very sad to let those characters go, and Aunt Dora is also a hoot! You will love this book and can't go wrong with this one!