That's what these books are -- heartwarming. I couldn't read books like Starting Now every day, but they are wonderful change of pace for me.
Libby is a divorced, hard-working attorney that has sacrificed almost everything to make partner in her firm. She is very surprised when instead of being made partner, she is laid off. Her boss admonishes her to take some time and get a life. It takes Libby a while, but she does change her life tremendously.
Part of that change is taking up knitting again, which brings her to A Good Yarn, the shop on Blossom Street. The shop doesn't play a huge part in Starting Now, but it's there in the background, as always.
Libby's path to happiness isn't straight, by any means. Every time she thinks things are going her way, something happens to throw her off the path, but eventually she gets there -- after all, that's what these books are all about -- you feel SO GOOD when they end.
I find some of the dialog to be overly dramatic. I feel like I'm reading a soap opera, and I guess I really am. But, I go into these books knowing that, so it's not really a criticism in my case. Also, the inner dialogs get really repetitive. These aren't direct quotes, but things like "Libby had always wanted to please her mother," and "She was so attracted to Phillip, even though they both had been burned by relationships before." These types of sentiments are repeated on almost EVERY page. Worded differently, but OK, I get it!
Macomber does have a way of attaching me to her main character and dragging me along through every emotion and trial they experience. She's very good at describing feelings (maybe too much, though.)
I'm not embarrassed to say I really enjoy these books -- in moderation. Everyone likes to melt at the end of a romantic book, right? You should try it, if you don't think that's true. Starting Now is a very clean read and appropriate for older teens who might be looking for some adult romance books.
Published by Ballentine, April 2, 2013
ARC obtained from LibraryThing Early Reviewers
338 pages
Rating: 3/5
I know exactly what you mean. I like reading a Macomber book, but only every once in a while. I'm also a sucker for the Harlequin Love Inspired series.
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