Saturday, December 17, 2011

When Love Isn't Enough by Stephanie Casher

Title: When Love Isn't Enough
Author: Stephanie Casher
Genre: Romance
Publisher: The Pantheon Collective (TPC) (November 1, 2010)
Available: $15.95 at Amazon
Rating: 3 stars
Rater: Lauri


Plot summary: After awakening from a drunken one-night stand, Sam, a college student, heads to the Santa Cruz beach, where she meets Tony, the guy from up the hill who has apparently been observing her oft-times trips to watch the sun set from this spot. They click, and spend the day together. During their frolic, Tony admits that he's not single, but the something that's between them means Sam's not willing to walk away. And then Angela, the girlfriend, gets involved.

The good: I loved that this story abandons the too-common worship of all that's blonde and blue-eyed, and instead features a panoply of non-white and less than perfect characters. Second, I like that this story works hard to abandon the tired old romantic plots and reaches for something else.

What needs work: The author tells way too much and shows far too little, and she narrates this story from what I call "movie-viewer perspective" (more commonly called "shallow third person"). I could not get inside any of the characters, and had a hard time caring about what happened to any of them.

In sum, the story offers a refreshing change from all that's tired in romance, and if you're looking for something a bit less predictable, this is one you should read.




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