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Single mom Anne Edmond can handle—and hand-make—just about anything.
From table settings to party favors, floral arrangements to nursery
décor, there is no project her creativity and a glue gun can't tackle.
But dating? That's a whole 'nother story. Case in point: Mike Everett.
He's a gorgeous mechanic and known car-whisperer, a man who can work
with auto parts like nobody's business. And he has thrown a monkey
wrench into Anne's carefully-crafted life…
One look at Anne is enough for Mike to know that she's no fixer-upper. She's perfect just the way she is—and the chemistry between them works like a charm. Mike's always been a no-strings kind of guy, but Anne's impressive self-reliance—and gorgeous exterior—gives him pause. This time, a fast joyride just doesn't seem like enough.
One look at Anne is enough for Mike to know that she's no fixer-upper. She's perfect just the way she is—and the chemistry between them works like a charm. Mike's always been a no-strings kind of guy, but Anne's impressive self-reliance—and gorgeous exterior—gives him pause. This time, a fast joyride just doesn't seem like enough.
Genre: contemporary romance
Publication date: March 2015
Mature content: yes
Review: when I saw the synopsis of Start Me Up,I wanted to start reading it immediately, it sounded just perfect. Sadly, I ended up a bit disappointed. The plot is good, and though I can't say there are lots of twists and turns, the whole thing about blog writing and party planning was interesting and refreshing.
My main complaint are the characters, especially Anne. For a woman living off a blog called My Perfect Little Life, making enough money to support herself and her daughter, she has a depressing case of lack of confidence. And there's no way she'll make me believe that a thirty two year woman dating a twenty nine year old man is a cougar. First, thirty two is not old (I should know, I'm almost forty two). And second, if a man does not behave as a mature adult by age twenty nine, then he'll not behave at forty either. Or fifty, for that matter. The first time their age difference came up in the book I was irked but prepared to let it go. But did the author drop the subject? No, it's constantly repeated throughout the book, as if a man falling in with a woman three years older could be that far fetched. After a while, it gets boring.
My main complaint are the characters, especially Anne. For a woman living off a blog called My Perfect Little Life, making enough money to support herself and her daughter, she has a depressing case of lack of confidence. And there's no way she'll make me believe that a thirty two year woman dating a twenty nine year old man is a cougar. First, thirty two is not old (I should know, I'm almost forty two). And second, if a man does not behave as a mature adult by age twenty nine, then he'll not behave at forty either. Or fifty, for that matter. The first time their age difference came up in the book I was irked but prepared to let it go. But did the author drop the subject? No, it's constantly repeated throughout the book, as if a man falling in with a woman three years older could be that far fetched. After a while, it gets boring.
And not only that, but some of the secondary characters in the book behave like bickering teenagers, making some of the events just a bit hard to believe. Actually, if not for the mature content, the whole story would probably work well as a teenage or young adult read instead.
So, kudos for the originality of the Hearts and Crafts series (Start Me Up is book one), and I just may try the next book to see if things improve, but I can't bring myself to rate Start Me Up with more than three stars.
Happy readings,
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