Linz Loves Romance

This was the first book by Edie Harris I read and she has a strong voice and a generally good writing style. I was struck, though, by a story that had so many things to like and so many things that didn't work that well for me.

What I loved: the hero is a charming, sweet, sexy actor named Declan. From Ireland. Ding! With curly black hair and coffee-colored eyes. He was so sweet, so genuine, and so (inexplicably?) into the heroine. He was easy to love. He also cussed quite a bit, which, strangely, I highly approve of. I probably preferred the scenes from his POV as well too. The set-up of them meeting on a movie set and that having complications for them also worked, as did the snippets of story about that movie, Vendetta. Most of the supporting characters also worked and were used judiciously, until near the end. And the sex scenes were very well done. Smokin' hot, in fact.

What I wasn't wild about: the heroine, Fiona. I found her mostly unlikeable and then struggled to buy into her issues. There was nothing that sympathetic about her. I can't think of something nice or considerate she did for another character. She was also horribly passive for my tastes. And she pretty much stayed that way. It was her parents who explained her issues to Declan, while also saying she was an adult. Um, no. There was also a believability breakdown. (MORE SPOILERS) For instance, I didn't buy that she made it to age 22 as a ballerina and was only then told she might be too big to make it (at a size 4-6). The dance world can be harsh and she would have heard that long ago. I also was surprised that after she was attacked that she never let anyone besides family or her doctors see her scars. There was a brief explanation about her working in a very visual industry (true), but it would have worked a little better as an explanation for her total reluctance to even date Declan had someone seen them and rejected her. Also, as someone in her twenties who had a month-long hospital stay, then months of physical therapy, and who did not have health insurance, it would be nearly impossible for her to then afford to buy a house in California on a make-up artist's salary. Just sayin'. And, finally, this is quibbling, but it irked me to have the Academy Awards given out out of order. Best Actor is before Best Director. Always.

So, perhaps these things wouldn't bother another reader. I think Harris' writing is strong. Her progression of the inner conflict between the characters worked well. The issues I had are (subjective and) fixable and I got through them because the good outweighed the irksome. Score one for the sexy Irishman.