Fluffy Romances

Stop now if you only read serious literature. But then if that were the case, you probably wouldn't be reading this blog at all, right? While I do draw the line at reading books where the covers depict a partially clothed women in the passionate embrace of some ridiculously pretty man, I still go for the occasional comic romance. Admittedly these don't have any particularly enduring literary value, nor do they stretch one's brain while trying to figure out a complicated plot, and they probably won't totally absorb you in the elegant use of prose, yet they are often good fun and offer some non-demanding downtime. Janet Evanovich's pre-Stephanie Plum novels are fairly entertaining examples of this genre, especially because her female protagonists tend to be mouthy and opinionated --yeah I know it's hard to imagine why THAT would appeal to me. The latest bit of confection I consumed was Wife for Hire which involves 27-year old school teacher, Maggie Toone, who wants to take a break from her job long enough to write a book based on the diaries of her Aunt Kitty, who was a madam. The part-time job she takes is to be a fake wife for an apple farmer in Vermont, Hank Mallone, who is trying to create a responsible enough image to get a bank loan for a new cider press. Complications abound. For example, the bank president happens to be Hank's father. Both Maggie and Hank have interfering family members who still think they are the headstrong and troublesome youngsters of years past. Hank's dog chases Maggie's cat. Hank's best friend stops by for breakfast way too often. Then there are all Hank's old girlfriends who think nothing of dropping in for dinner at the farmhouse. Finally, there is a totally unprecedented rash of attempted break-ins at the farm after Maggie comes to stay--could they possibly be after Aunt Kitty's diaries? Of course Maggie and Hank fall for each other; with Hank being quicker to acknowledge this while Maggie is absolutely determined NOT to give in to her historically unreliable passions. The wacky characters and plots twists presage the more well-developed family nutcases and predictably insane personal catastrophes in the Stephanie Plum numbered series that still make me laugh out loud.