THE RIDE TO DINAH'S WEDDING

Author: Ann Kline ISBN: 050552581 2/2004 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: LOVE SPELL

Ever since swallowing a butterfly as a child, Dinah Lee felt destined for something extraordinary. She thought that "something" was Woodrow Monroe...but Woody borrowed $5000 from his cousin Seth for the wedding—danger-loving, heart-stopping Seth, the dream beau of every woman in Smokey Joe's saloon—then left Dinah at the altar. It took him three months, but Seth found the lying, swamp-sucking snake. Now, climbing into Seth's monstrous black pickup to go after him, Dinah was about to embark on the wildest goose chase ever—a quest from Jacksonville, Florida to Spokane, Washington, with a curse, chocolate turtles, a couple of fat, bald Cajuns, a sheriff, a very smart rooster, and best of all, true love at the end.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

If you have read any of my previous reviews, you may have surmised that I very rarely read contemps. They are just not my thing. Despite this, I find THE RIDE TO DINAH'S WEDDING by Ann Kline, is pretty darn cute. Naturally I can't say I love it, but if you are a lover of contemporary reads, you will.

Dinah Lee's fiance, Woody, jilts her at the altar. Literally. His cousin Seth had loaned him $5000 for the ceremony and wants it back. So together Seth and Dinah decide to hunt down the rat from Jacksonville, Florida to Spokane, Washington. Along the way they assemble a motley crew of sidekicks that just kept on amazing me at every turn. Just when I didn't think I could smile more, something even more zany happened.

Naturally being stuck in a truck for days with a hottie like Seth, Dinah begins to realize that she may have tried to marry the wrong man. Though there isn't much action between the two, there is a whole lot of tension, and that sure keeps things interesting.

Much to my delight the strangest things happen to Dinah and Seth. How would you deal with a cursed voodoo girl, a strange boy/man hunting for a stolen candy box full of cash, a baby, and a set of twins that change their physical appearance every chapter and shoot at you with rubber bullets? Can't answer? Go pick up the book and find out how THE RIDE TO DINAH'S WEDDING deals with it.

Shannon Johnson