NOT THE MARRYING KIND

Author: Hailey North ISBN: 0060582472 11/2007 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: AVON

One Night Was All It Took Sixteen years ago, world-famous artist Harriet P. Smith was the nerdiest girl at Doolittle High School, and Jake Porter was the new boy in town. Charismatic, handsome, and instantly popular, Jake was way out of her league. Harriet was shocked when he asked her to the graduation dance ... and devastated when he left town for good the next morning. Only his father's remarriage could bring Jake, now a hot shot L.A. music exec, back to small-town Arkansas. His only consolation is the stunning woman with the mysterious green eyes he meets at a local bar. He's got no idea he was a part of one of the best nights of her life—or that he's about to fall for her as hard as she once did for him. Jake's never been the marrying kind, but another night with Harriet might make him change his mind.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

NOT THE MARRYING KIND by Hailey North is the kind of book that I could easily see being made into a movie. It's got all the best ingredients for a romantic film: fully developed characters who average folks can identify with, clear backstory and a plot that is romantic, funny and engaging without being overly done on any level. This is just good storytelling, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Harriet has escaped a less-than-great past, one so many women could call their own without any stretch of the imagination. She's real, and so is her relationship with her teenage son. When she heads back to her hometown for Christmas, something she's avoided doing for years, she's forced to confront some old issues. The same is true of Jake, a man who is also going to the same town, but for entirely different reasons. Successful and wealthy, Jake's relationships with his family, and people in general, are superficial at best. The trip to the place he once lived, along with his father's holiday news, brings Jake back to people he's never been able to get out of his mind or heart.

Harriet and Jake, and the romantic dance they do, is pure entertainment. I loved the way they move close, then pull back, before finally beginning to come together. There isn't any character in this book that isn't dimensional and intriguing, and the author's sense of humor regarding these characters shines through on every page. NOT THE MARRYING KIND is fun and funny, and wonderfully enjoyable.

Kay James