What Cindy's Reading

What has gotten into Cindy, constant readers may wonder. She's never read these series novellas before. And now Jane Porter and Shirley Jump in one week? What gives?

Part of it is my new responsibilities at RT. I've got a series column now and it behooves me to get to know the type of books I'll be reviewing. Part of it is that I have recently read articles in Romance Writers Report by both Jane and Shirley and was impressed with their writing. And Shirley wrote the essential guide for non-fiction writers How To Publish Your Articles which I reviewed here.

And as for the romance novellas, I must admit, I'm smitten. These are fun, romantic, breezy reads that, when at their best, are full of humor and pathos and passion.

In The Virgin's Proposal Matt and Katie meet cute. She's dressed up as a banana to promote her flower shop's fruit baskets. Then she kisses him at the supermarket to make the guy who left her at the altar jealous. This all happens in the first couple of scenes. What comes after is a romance that blooms despite the odds.

Katie's a sweetheart with a sense of humor. Matt's a typical bad boy with a sensitive side. I was rooting for these two to get together even though I knew that of course they eventually would. That's the number one rule of romance. The reader is guaranteed a happy ending. But Ms. Jump takes the ending a step further, with a clever and sweet final sentence that epitomizes the essence of this winning couple. (4 out of 6)