Customer Reviews

Love Is All Around (Zebra Debut)

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

 

 

I'm not a professional reviewer. I'm a writer. And I'm a reader. And I'll add to that: I'm a very opinionated, selective, nit-picky reader. I've tossed more books across the room than I've finished. Those were the ones I wasn't bothering to skip through to the ending. It sometimes gets to the point where I don't much care if the hero and heroine got together at all. That said, I'm still a consumer of the written word. If it's written, and I bought it, I'm making the effort to read it. And if I'm interested enough to skip to get to the ending, then I'm skipping. How much can I miss anyway?

I have to admit first of all, that I read every word of LOVE IS ALL AROUND. Every one. That's how much fun this book is.

I won't go into the plot. Other reviewers are much better at that than I could possibly be, and I hate synopsis writing anyway. In brief: Patsy Clark thinks she knows what she wants. Just about everyone else in town (and readerdom) know better. That much is crystal clear. Good thing she comes to her senses before I had to step in and kick some butt! That's what happens when you read Lori Devoti's book, LOVE IS ALL AROUND. You get involved. You care. You really like this Patsy, faults and all, and you want the ending to arrive, but you don't want it to come too fast and ruin everything! You want it to be oh so right.

Here's my next confession. I read this book in one (split) sitting. I only put it down because I had to go pick up one of my children at a party, and I was late for that! I was pretty un-neighborly, too, when I arrived, but I was getting back home for a reason. I was hooked on LOVE IS ALL AROUND.

I have to admit next that I am so, so, so, so, NOT into contemporary romances. I'm a historical romance fan. Always was. Always will be - although I will read other genres if the story's right and grabs me. In fact, when I first saw this book, nothing about it intrigued a historical romance fan like me. Nothing. Boy! Am I ever glad I overcame any prejudice and bought it! Debut author, Lori Devoti has a way of linking words together that's indescribable. It's akin to treating yourself to a large helping of decadent chocolate when you're supposed to be on a diet. There were two parts that had me laughing out loud, even, and then I actually stopped reading to look around and make sure I wasn't caught at it. (and I was alone!) That's how delicously funny this book is. Like I said, I am not into contemporary romance. It always seemed to be a bunch of scenes, somewhat related - or not - that got to a very predictable ending. I want larger-than-life heroes, take-your-breath-away heroines, and scenes of destruction and mayhem. Admittedly, not your usual contemporary setting, and not remotely like LOVE IS ALL AROUND. This one is in such an everyday setting, I thought for sure it would bore the pants off me. Was I ever wrong!

*****In closing; as a very opinionated, selective, nit-picky reader that doesn't much care for contemporary romance, surprise! LOVE IS ALL AROUND is such a wonderful, encapsulated trip into Patsy and Will's life, and the way Ms. Devoti writes is so hypnotic, that I have no choice but to Highly Recommend her for contemporary romance fans, and yes, even the historical romance fan will find themselves guilty for thoroughly enjoying themselves, too.

Patsy Lee Clark has a passion for local history, weaves baskets to relax, and wants nothing more than to get out of little Daisy Creek in southern Missouri. Daisy Creek is a dying town and Patsy has no intention of dying with it. There is nothing in Daisy Creek worth staying for. Then Will moves back into town.

Will Barnes sold his internet consulting business for plenty of cash. If he never works again he will never be able to spend it all. Will finally decides that he is going to do whatever it takes to make himself happy. So he breaks his engagement to money-loving Cindy and moves back to Daisy Creek. Will plans to begin a new internet business, but this time it will be fun instead of a chore. Yet as he is settling down in his "fix-er upper" old Victorian mansion, which the green-bean brigade of neighbors are determined to help him remodel, the woman he wants most is about to flee to a St. Louie job.

**** This is Lori Devoti's debut novel. It slows down about mid way in, but not for too long. The secondary characters are spunky, Patsy's granny and aunt are scheming riots, and the author even added a couple of sub-plots to keep things moving forward. Well worth your time and money to pick up! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Patsy Lee Clark wants one thing out of life--to get out of Daisy Creek, to put the mistakes she's made in her past, and to get on with a career. Too-sexy bad-boys are not part of the plan. Even if they were, Will Barnes wouldn't be. For one thing, he's actually moving into Daisy Creek. For another, the evil Jennifer has already staked him out as her own turf--and Patsy has already played that game.

After selling his Internet consulting business, Will decided on a change. He's returned to a town he lived in briefly as a teen, and that still holds positive memories for him. He plans to connect with his roots, work with his hands, spend time with nature, and figure out what he wants to do with his life. One thing for sure, he's happy he's put ex-fiancee Cindy into his past.

Author Lori Devoti brings the Ozark region of Missouri to life--with its small-town charm and prejudices, the kindness of its people and the hopeless wreck of its economy. Patsy's ambivalence about her hometown and her future rings true throughout the story. Throw in a caring but buttinski family and some close friends and you've got a charming romance.

LOVE IS ALL AROUND is Devoti's first novel and a few rough edges still show, but bear with her--this is a heart-warmer.

Patsy Lee Clark knows that her hometown of Daisy Creek, Missouri is dying. Although a fan of history especially local, Patsy Lee plans to leave town before the wake announces the end of Daisy Creek. St. Louis and employment is her destiny.

Will Barnes made millions from the Internet boom, but having all the money in the world and a beautiful fiancée has not made him happy. In fact he has not enjoyed life except for establishing his Net business which turned into a laborious task before he finally sold it and as a child growing up in Daisy Creek in the Ozarks. He ends his engagement, leaves Chicago, and comes home to recapture the magic of life that he somehow has lost. Will feels renewed with his homecoming as he begins plans for a new internet business and renovating his fixer upper Victorian mansion. He especially enjoys the women led by the Clark females, but the one he wants most Patsy Lee insists she is heading to St. Louis. Will thinks that won't happen if he, assisted by her aunt and granny, has any say. He hopes love will keep her with him in breathing life in this dying town.

This humorous regional romance contains a serious social issue involving dying small towns. The story line takes the future of Daisy Creek quite seriously, but uses zany eccentrics to make the romance into an amusing counterpoint to the grim aspects of can small towns survive in today's megalopolis world without condemning big cities. Patsy Lee and Will make a fine couple, but it is the wild bunch led by the lead female's unconventional relatives that spice up this well written contemporary tale.

Harriet Klausner

Patsy Lee Clark can't wait to get out of Daisy Creek. Her marriage to the cheating Johnny is over and she's in a dead-end job at the BiggeeMart. Things start looking up when she lands a job designing a web site with the possibility of it leading to something even bigger--and out of town. It's too bad that her plans to break free start to gel at the same time the gorgeous Will Barnes comes back to Daisy Creek intending to settle there for good.

Will is impossibly hunky, nice and--thanks to a fortune made from internet consulting--rich. He loves the small town where he lived briefly in his youth. In addition to restoring an old mansion for his home, he also hopes to restore the economy of the town and give it a future. Will is nothing short of perfect. He may have been James Dean in his youth, but now he's a model citizen, w/out being a drip about it. His commitment to the well-being of Daisy Creek and its citizens is totally admirable, and Ms. Devoti does a terrific job of presenting a realistic development scheme.

Patsy is an engaging character. She's more than a little bit "hick," but she's kind-hearted, loyal, a good friend, and smart. Initially, she's not smart enough to know what she really wants in life, but she comes around. She and Will have some steamy sexual chemistry, but they're also two nice people who feel respect and friendship for one another. They're very believable as a couple and readers will root for them to get together.

There are also some interesting secondary characters, including Patsy's relatives and her best friend, Ruthann. Her aptly named pug, Pugnacious, is a real scene-stealer, too. (The coon hunting scene is a hoot!)

There are some unpleasant characters, of course. Those tend to be presented a little on the broad side, such as the trampy Jessica; Will's snooty father and sister; the rigid, sanctimonious Mrs. Jensen (the mother of Ruthann's love interest); and Patsy's coworkers in St. Louis, among others.

This is a sweet and fun book. What a great job for a first-time author. It's not the deepest or most memorable of reads, but it has some unique characters and it's a nice way to spend a few hours.

Hey! I'd give it 10 stars if I could. Zebra appears to have a great eye for contemporary romance. And Ms. Devoti has a way with words that is funnier than funny. I was with the heroine every moment and I was living it right along with her. If you want a fun time, laughing at just about every page, you've GOT to check out Lori Devoti's debut novel, Love is All Around! I don't think they get much better. If they do, I haven't found it. Bravo! Will I be reading this author again? You bet!