Lucky in Love (Arabesque) [Mass Market Paperback]

MELANIE SCHUSTER (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Arabesque (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583143629
• ISBN-13: 978-1583143629
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm from Saginaw, Michigan. I have an older sister and a younger brother. I also have three beautiful nieces who are all talented, brilliant and have brought me much happiness. I went to college in Ohio, and have had so many jobs I can't remember all of them! I've done everything from sales to retail management to costume design. I was a hairstylist and makeup artist, an admissions counselor at a private college and now I work in telecommunications. My goal is to write full time in the near future.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky thing I picked this one up!, August 27, 2002

By 

Brina D. "rattler4life" (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucky in Love (Arabesque) (Mass Market Paperback)

I like to consider myself a connoisseur of romance novels. Therefore, I've developed a short list of authors
whose works I will read. I don't know what made me take a chance on
Ms. Schuster's Lucky In Love, but boy am I glad that I did!

Several elements that hooked me on this book. One of the first
things I noticed is that the characters aren't stiff. Many writers
fall into the trap of creating characters that are soooo perfect,
they're stilted. Not so, here. Ms.Schuster easily employs the current terminology or Ebonics that
we use in our everyday conversation. Phrases such as "you ain't
said nothin' but a word" and "playa-hatin'" not only serve to
add color to the dialogue and depth to the characters, but it helps the reader to relax and read
the story as if a good friend is telling it.

Also, the author does not waste precious space with each of the
would-be lovers bemoaning the one critical fault that is keeping them
from finding true love. Yes, problems are presented, but the characters
address them and move on to the next stage. This helps to give you a
storyline that is continuously flowing and interesting.

I love the fact that the heroine is well developed in this book -
she's not some ninny sitting around waiting for the hero to rescue
her. The character of Benita (Bennie) Cochran really holds her own.
She's smart, sexy and she has a great sense of humor. It is easy to
see why Clayton Deveraux is reeled in hook, line and sinker!

Ms. Schuster introduces us to some very interesting secondary
characters, and I'm drooling over the possibilities! I can hardly wait
to read other stories involving the Cochran and Deveraux clans.

This book is awesome! Ms. Schuster will definitely be added to the
list of authors whose works I spend time reading.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky to have discovered such a wonderful writer!, August 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lucky in Love (Arabesque) (Mass Market Paperback)

LUCKY IN LOVE is one of those novels you simply don't want to end. I started it Friday night and finished it Saturday night. After a night out on the town with my husband, no less! Melanie Schuster's command of the written word had me riveted to the pages. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a story as much as this one. The previous reviews have given you the gist of the story. Andrea Benita Cochran meets Clayton Arlington Deveraux and sparks fly. However, they have many obstacles to overcome. Benita, or 'Bennie' has an overbearing father in media magnate, Big Benny Cochran. I love it when a heroine is not a mamby pamby sort who kowtows to the men in her life. Benita stood up to her father and laid down the law. Ms. Schuster has an exquisite eye for detail. And a wonderful sense of humor. I laughed aloud in the middle of the night, waking my snoring hubby. Tears, too, were evoked time and time again. I adore a story in which I laugh, cry and talk back to the book. Benita and Clay were a marvelous couple who deserved the happiness they fought so hard for. I also enjoyed their families, especially Benita's gorgeous brothers. Clayton's brother, Martin, got my attention. I hope Ms. Schuster writes about him sometime in the future. He was very intriguing because he'd been disfigured in an accident, subsequently dumped by his beautiful wife, and he'd withdrawn from the world. I'd like to see some gutsy woman make him believe in love again. Also, Benita's best friend, Renee, and Benita's twin brother Andrew were standout characters in this marvelous book. Hot describes the chemistry between those two. Whew! I could go on and on, but you get the message. Read the book. You won't be disappointed.

Can't wait for Ms. Schuster's next book!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky Are We, July 26, 2002

By 

Cynthia Jeffries "readerwriterone" (Capitol Heights, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucky in Love (Arabesque) (Mass Market Paperback)

Bravo, Ms. Schuster, for your evocative tour de for, "Lucky In Love!" Not only did Ms. Schuster take us from the mind fields of boy-meets-girl, but she also showed us the true battleground in after the vows; a rare journey for most writers. Usually, we either see the before or the after, but Ms. Schuster treats us to "during" or as one poet puts it so astutely, the dash, the place between here and there. Melanie Schuster really deserves rave reviews for this one!!

Both Andrea Benita Cochran and Clayton Arlington Deveraux are members of big families, unusually tall and statuesque, and the eldest of their siblings. Both are heading large communications companies, but in different parts of the industry and in different states. We get to meet and enjoy their friends and their relatives who add another new and interesting dimension to the typical story and lay the ground work extremely well for a series of romantic journeys for the family and friends of the Cochran/Deveraux dynasties. But Benita Cochran is my kind of woman!! She's strong, assertive, with high self esteem, an incredibly lovable mother wit, and a kick-ass attitude. I really enjoy reading female characters that aren't filled with inane phobias and tons of emotional baggage--the I-can't-be-myself-because-of-fifty-gazillion-bits-of-nonsense. Or cooing and simpering like nitwits. She sees Clay and captures him; no brag, just fact!! They both weather tragedy in their young relationship and marriage, but come out on the other side of the devestation better people for having had the experience.

Melanie Schuster is going on my list of favorite authors. I love her writing style. She doesn't let the wordsmith in her get in the way of telling the good story. In short, she see the individual trees, not just the forest. I can't wait for Renee's and Andrew's story; Benita's best friend and her twin brother, respectively. The May-December aspect with Renee's story is a really new perspective (at least for me) and promises to be just as entertaining. I hope that Arabesque lets her explore all of the nuances with the tug-of-war between dating an older man verses dating the traditional younger one, Andrew. We know how it's going to end, but getting there promises to take us on a different type of romantic journey (i.e., what can an older man do for her that Andrew is going to have to overcome). Absolutely intriguing!!