Sarah Jane North

Cate is fairly new in the small town where she meets Zach, and she's intrigued by the "bad boy" he appears to be. But what if it turns out that he's in the very category of all that she now despises?

I didn't read the book blurb before reading Red Rose County by author Sarah Jane North. I was enjoying the story well enough, but then, I don't know--I felt a poignant sting. Something about Cate and Zach's interaction, their imperfect chemistry, the absence of a push to make this romance a happy-go-lucky one. Not a tiptoe through the tulips, but not a depressing read, either. I had to sit up and pay attention.

I could sense the author's understanding of human nature without that understanding feeling forced into the story or "imposed" upon the characters. Now, in a few places, the flow of storytelling is awkward, like when sometimes the characters' italicized thoughts are written in third person, past tense, while at other times they're more fittingly in first person. (For instance, the first guest arriving at a party likely wouldn't think to himself, of himself, "He was the only one there." He'd think, "I'm the only one here.")

Still, I didn't find this to be quite a run-of-the-mill romance novella; it does a lot, without doing too much. A quick read, yes, but even as it went by quickly, I'm glad I was paying attention.… (plus d'informations)