Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Blind Date

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_Once Upon A Blind Date_ was truly a joy to read. Maggie O'Mulligan decides to find her best friend, Dominic, the wife he (sort of) wants. He is a fabulous catch but the sparks just aren't there for the two of them. Meanwhile across town, Charlie Kennelly thinks his favorite neighbor, Julie, could stand to get back into the dating scene. She's an amazing pastry chef that would be perfect for some guy...just not Charlie. Charlie was practically left at the alter and has decided that he doesn't want to settle down. He writes the `Bachelor at Large' column for a women's magazine.

Maggie completes Dom's profile (as a `old fashioned' guy looking for an `old-fashioned' girl) on an online dating service, and then she starts contacting other singles. Charlie and Julie review the first batch of responses to the profile Charlie filled out for her. Poor Julie is a little put off by all the nuts that respond. Until she sees Dom's. Charlie convinces her to plan on the two of them meeting in a public place and they can each bring a friend. Dom wants to go with the guys to the Knicks game but Maggie schedules his date for that night. Julie (at Charlie's suggestion) sends over the tickets for where they are supposed to meet up...the Knick's game. Never mind that Julie doesn't know or care for Basketball; Charlie knows this is how she can score points with him. Dom and Maggie get the tickets while they are at work. Dom is excited since the seats are better than where his friend's were and Maggie is confused why an `old-fashioned' girl would plan a first meeting at a basketball game.

Needless to say once everyone meets up, it's obvious that two chaperones have more in common than Dom and Julie. The story flows from one fatal date to another as the matchmakers refuse to give up. Somewhere along the way, they start spending personal time together and boy do the sparks fly!!!! Maggie and Charlie ride a roller coaster on the way to end of the story. It's fun to take the ride with them. Not once did I think, "enough already or get to the good stuff." I felt like the whole story was the good stuff.

Wendy Markhan has a nice writing style that flips between the characters seamlessly. It's frustrating when an author tries to write from the various points of view with a bias towards one character. In _Once Upon..._ there wasn't any awkward transitions. None of the characters were dislikeable which is a breath of fresh air. Not every story needs a witch or jerk to make a character appreciate their "true" love. Sometime people just don't mesh.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading _The Nine Month Plan_, which is sitting on my bookcase.

Maggie is trying to get her buddy Dom a girlfriend so he won't rely on her to do wifely duties like picking up dry cleaning; Charlie is helping neighbor and friend Julie find Mr. Right because her heart keeps getting broken from all the Mr. Wrong's. Maggie and Charlie create and answer personal ads for their friends, only to find that they can't seem to keep away from each other.

From the moment that the two meet, Maggie and Charlie exude chemistry. Maggie is as uptight and anal retentive as Charlie is laid back, and they clash from the start. Neither is willing to throw in the towel and admit that Julie and Dom are not a match made in Heaven. Instead they scheme to keep them together, despite one disastrous date after another, mostly so that they can continue to interact.

While it is clear from the start that Dom and Julie have next to nothing in common (and the recaps of the doomed dates are priceless), it is clear to everyone but Maggie and Charlie that they belong together. Getting them to admit it to each other is going to be the hard part, especially since she plans to marry perfect boyfriend Jason, and Charlie plans to remain a bachelor.

Equal parts humor and passion make this a funny and winning combination. I am looking forward to reading more books by Markham.

In New York City, Dominic Chickalini and Maggie O'Mulligan are best buddies even if she becomes upset when he wants her to do wifely things like picking up his cleaning. She informs her pal that he needs a spouse and decides to find him one.

In lower Manhattan, Charlie Kennely and Julie Purello are best buddies. As a relationship advice columnist Charlie believes that Julie's life is all work and no fun since an engagement ended. He informs his pal that she needs a spouse and decides to find her one.

Maggie and Charlie complete the questionnaire for their respective pals at Matchmocha asking for mates in Manhattan, the boroughs except for the dangerous Bronx and too far away Staten Island. The matchmaking company pairs Dominic and Julie. They are accompanied by their matchmaker when they meet at Madison Square Garden. This is love at first sight except not for Dominic or Julie. They have nothing in common including no spark. On the other hand, Maggie and Charlie, who respectively filled in the likes and dislikes for their pals, go at it from the first moment as enemy combatants falling in love.

Though her friend's acceptance of Maggie's insistent pushing of Julie on Dominic seems out of character for a person who easily would tell her to bug off, fans will enjoy this amusing matchmaking romance gone awry. The key to this Manhattan (and somewhat Queens) madness is that the four characters seem real with unique personalities. ONCE UPON A BLIND DATE is a fun tale with a humorous matchmaking twist.

Harriet Klausner

ONCE UPON A BLIND DATE by Wendy Markham
May 29, 2005

Amazon rating 3.5/5

If you've read THE NINE MONTH PLAN and enjoyed it, you may want to read ONCE UPON A BLIND DATE by Wendy Markham. Both books feature the Chickalini family and focuses on a different member of the family in each one. In ONCE UPON A BLIND DATE, the focus is on Dominic Chickalini, whose friend Maggie O'Mulligan is a control freak and has a need to find him a wife.

Written as a totally light-hearted romantic comedy, Maggie is helping Dominic find his future wife, and so they go to a coffeehouse called MATCH MOCHA MATCH MOCHA to search for that fantasy woman. Unfortunately, it is Maggie that decides what Dominic's match should be, so she is the one that fills out the questionnaire for him.

At the same time, also at MATCH MOCHA MATCH MOCHA, Charlie Kennelly is helping his friend Julie find her dream man. Dominic becomes that dream man, and it's Charlie's idea that Julie should take her dream date to a basketball game, giving Dominic the impression she's a sports fan. (Julie knows nothing about basketball).

On this first date, Charlie and Maggie come along for the ride and soon trouble begins. Maggie finds that she doesn't like Charlie at all. But she wants to make sure that Dominic impresses his date Julie so that they will end up getting married eventually. While Maggie and Charlie try to control their friends and dictate how they should impress the other, the actual date doesn't seem to get off the ground, and no one is sure that the date is a success or a failure.

While Dominic and Julie half-heartedly continue to court each other, with some hilarious results, Maggie and Charlie find themselves attracted to each other, yet they keep irritating each other at the same time. It's opposites attract, but neither wants to admit to anyone that there is something going on between them.

While the two of them dance around each other, wanting each other yet afraid to admit it, Maggie has a boyfriend that is currently living in South America, providing medical care to the poor. She thinks they will get married one day, but most of her plans are pure fantasy. When Jason finally tells her that he's returning home, Maggie freaks out, but tells herself that this was her plan all along, to marry Jason.

While I enjoyed this book much more than the previous THE NINE MONTH PLAN, ONCE UPON A BLIND DATE isn't what I'd typically read when it comes to romances. While I do enjoy the comedic aspects of these two books, I find the characters are a bit flat and stereotypical. At the same time, these books are good beach reads. They are not heavy reads, nor are they too sugary sweet for some tastes. For readers who enjoy their romances light and not altogether grounded in reality, these books are for them.

'Once upon a blind date' by Wendy Markham (aka Wendy Corsi Staub) is the second novel of the Chickalini family (The Nine Month Plan). Maggie is Dominic Chickalini's best friend and she decided he needs a wife. Charlie writer of the 'bachelor at large' column is Julie's bestfriend and decided she needs a husband. Of course, Dominic and Julie seem at odds but Maggie and Charlie have amazing sparks. If you enjoy this genre, I would also suggest `Body Check' by Deirdre Martin , `Drive me Crazy' by Kate Angell and Almost Perfect by Julie Ortolon.

I liked The Nine Month Plan, so bought this. It's fun reading in itself, but the chronology has a problem. In the earlier book, Joe and Nina had a baby; Nina's brother Dominic was age twenty and in college. In this book, Nina's baby is a toddler, but Dominic is suddenly twenty-eight.

Think again?

Since "The Nine Month Plan" was awesome, I decided to pick up and read this book. For some reason, I thought it was a sequel?? It's not (really). Sure it has Dom in it from the "Plan" but other than mentioning a few lines about the others... there is no true connection! If I had just picked this up and read it out of the blue... it would have been a good love story! Has a great story line, wonderful characters, but does drag a little. Other than being disappointed that it isn't a true sequel, it was a good read!

New Yorker Maggie O'Mulligan is organized, in control, and busy. She doesn't have time to help her best friend, Dominic Chickalini, with his many domestic needs such as picking up his dry cleaning. In her typical style, Maggie can solve the problem, and she decides that she must find a wife for her buddy. If she will get his clothes one last time, Dominic will agree to Maggie's crazy wife search. Not that he really wants a wife, but he is desperate for his clothes! Meanwhile in another part of town, writer Charlie Kennely is concerned about his lonely friend and neighbor Julie Purello. Long hours as a pastry chef have kept her off the dating circuit. Charlie believes that he can find the perfect man for Julie. After all, he is the "Bachelor at Large," penning relationship advice for a major women's magazine. How hard could it be?

Maggie and Charlie independently use a local internet dating service. After creating profiles and searching through potential matches, they find their friends' ideal mates. To ensure Julie's safety, Charlie suggests going with her on the first date. Of course, Dominic is free to bring someone, too. Charlie then arranges a date sure to score points with Dominic. What could be better than a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden? Julie knows nothing about basketball, but that shouldn't be a problem, right? When Julie sends over the Knicks tickets, Maggie is confused. A basketball game date doesn't mesh with Julie's profile. Not to worry, Maggie goes along with Dominic to insure that all goes well.

The four meet at the game, and BAM! It's love at first sight. There's just one problem, it's not Julie and Dominic who are connecting. Nothing happens between them, not even the tiniest spark. Maggie and Charlie, however, light things up with both their instant attraction and their intense dislike. Charlie wants no part of the anal and controlling Maggie, while the laid-back Charlie gets on Maggie's last nerve. Certainly, neither will remember the earth shattering kiss they shared. Instead, they again and again focus on getting Dominic and Julie together. If Charlie and Maggie's interfering simply gives them a valid reason to see each other, they would never admit it. Who knows what would happen if they did!

I am torn. On one hand, Once Upon a Blind Date is a humorous, ironic matchmaking tale where opposites attract and clash. I love the premise. Julie and Dominic's doomed dates are hilarious, especially the he-said, she-said accounts. Throughout most of the book, however, I disliked Maggie. She is too uptight and too controlling. I know that she means well, but she is not pleasant. I wanted to smack her often! What kind of friend keeps pushing her best friend into dates from hell?

Also, why does Dominic need a wife? Wouldn't a personal assistant be more appropriate? While not always perfect, Charlie is appealing and has potential. I did enjoy Maggie and Charlie's battles, but perhaps there was one too many. Over the course of the story, Maggie and Charlie do make realistic changes. I looked forward to their ultimate resolution and was rooting for a happy ending.

This is my first Wendy Markham novel, but I would love to read more. I enjoyed the story's overall style and flow. Maybe with different characters, I would be happier. Once Upon a Blind Date has several shining moments, but also a few rough spots. It just doesn't quite hit the mark.


Cheryl
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Lately I've been in a "reading rut" and decided to branch outside of my box. I've never read a romance novel so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to explore this genre. I've read this author under the name of Wendy Corsi Staub and loved each book. This book did not disappoint me.

It's a romantic comedy about finding love when you least expect it. While reading this book I could picture the characters in my head and have been trying to figure out which actors/actresses could play the parts.

If you're looking for a light, fast read, this is the book for you.

Written with great clarity and a sensibility and honesty. From the tragic which she handled so well, to the sublime, the life that follows - I couldn't help laughing out loud reading it even on the subway. I couldn't put it down. What a joy to read! I highly recommend this book. A jewel. Move over Nora and Candace et al! And where are more Randy's????? And Linda's???! And when is the next book coming????