Customer Reviews

Just Like Heaven

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very romantic book - no doubt about it. It's a contemporary romance, and the main characters are grown adults with the ability to express and enjoy their feelings. Kate is a reluctant romantic whose life is turned upside down (romantically) when she meets Mark, a man who happens to save her life one day at a college. The two of them form a tight bond almost immediately and the book basically explores the problems and excitement that come with meeting someone new and different from your previous experiences. Kate has to integrate her new man into her home and family life and learns to express herself more fully because of her new relationship. The biggest ... well... deterrent in this book is that it is highly religious. I'm surprised no review has focused on just how much religion is central to this book. The title is the first indication, and so is Mark's profession (an Episcopalian priest); there are also countless references to God and religion and life paths, etc. I was definitely not expecting a religious book, so it was rather unexpected. At times it was too much but I overlooked all the religious references because of the interest I had in the story and its outcome.

If I had known what to expect from this novel, I might have had different expectations and a different review. Actually, that's probably not true-- if the back cover description had been honest, I would not have read the book at all.

The back cover led me to believe that the novel was a contemporary romance novel between two forty-somethings. I was pleased to see a book about mature adults for a change, rather than Gen X yuppies on the prowl. In addition, the premise of the couple meeting over a heart attack was certainly unique and enjoyable to read.

One expects complications to ensue after the initial meeting. One does not expect pro-Catholic prosiness or lengthy discourses on the male protagonist's induction into the Episcopal priesthood and his attempts to get a new job. Honestly, if I wanted to read about a job hunt, I'd be reading employment chat sites and not a romance novel. In fact, by the time the author treated us to a line by line copy of service of the Episcopal induction into the priesthood, I was done with the book.

I certainly have nothing against spirituality in life or books, but I wish the back cover had provided more accurate information on the content to enable me to make reading choices appropriate to my interests.

In addition, I found the hypocrisy of Kate's daughter going to Catholic mass while living with her boyfriend ironic and the smug superiority of Kate's daughter and mother about what she really needed in her life was just annoying. I truly found the mother's insouciance about the impact of her life decisions on Kate, especially in regards to men, frustrating to read.

It's been a while since i've read a Barbara Bretton and i wasn't disappointed. I thoroughly loved this book. If I don't like a book i'll skip thru the pages to get to the best part but I devoured every single word and couldn't put it down. Kate French is having chest pains in a mall parking lot when she collapes and her red thong is exposed and a man in a Grateful Dead T-shirt helps her. She wants to meet this kind stranger to thank him and they finally meet and naturally sparks fly. I gave this a 5 but it deserves a 10!

Just Like Heaven by Barbara Bretton was a sweet romance about two people in their early 40's who find each other just a their lives are changing. It was so much better than I thought it was from the early review - off to read more from this author!

A story about fate and being in the right place at the right time, this novel is thoroughly believable. It's a contemporary romance involving a 40ish couple.

I always know that when I open a Barbara Bretton book, I'm in for a great read. She never disappoints. Her books are fun and funny and touching and real. Her characters are smart and sassy and vulnerable and prone to the life crises we all experience. It doesn't get any better than that.

Having just returned from a trip to London and needing to get to a meeting with a prospective client, Kate is short with her mother and daughter over the phone and can't seem to find any undergarments but the red thong her mother bought her to help loosen her up. While walking to her appointment, she catches the eye (and parking space) of a scruffy man in a Grateful Dead t-shirt, and soon collapses due to a heart attack, with the man administering CPR to save her life. He wants to accompany her to the hospital but the crew won't let him, only to arrive at the hospital to find she was sent elsewhere. He searches for his mystery woman, and Kate longs to thank him for saving her life.

When they finally do meet again, she has a hilarious reaction to Mark Kerry's vocation. He's closing on his house and is ready to take a new job in New Hampshire, cursing his luck at meeting her when he's about to leave. But the two decide to make the best of the time they have together, neither realizing the depth of their feelings until it might be too late. Kate is also struggling with her daughters insistence on marrying instead of going to college, as well as her mother's mothers numerous marriages.

Bretton's latest is a great romantic comedy, which refreshingly feature mature protagonists. The story is breezy, funny, and charming - a real surprise.

I have come to really enjoy Barbara Bretton's outlook on life and love. She never let's me down. This book fills all those requirements, happy ending, finding true love. etc.. I know it sounds hoky, but hey just read the headlines and you'll go for hoky too.

I would give it 10 stars if I could. Barbara does it again. A believable story with great characters. Did not want it to end. Thank you very much Barbara.

I also had a hard time getting past the fact that Mark was a priest. And whether or not real priests are like Mark isn't known to me, but I'd like to think most priests and preachers are regular guys. I tried to think of Mark that way, but I kept seeing him as a priest.

Mark sort of cursed sometimes, he watched The Sopranos, he had sex outside of marriage, and he ended up marrying a near-agnostic.

There was one particular scene I enjoyed: when Kate and Paul enter the house and to her surprise, Mark is there. The way they were drawn like magnets to each other, the way they linked hands, it was a good scene.

I wish the story itself had been better. It was very predictable which made it boring. No grand plot to speak of either. And with the exception of the one love scene, I felt like I was reading a book from junior high school.