~ Review: Lucky In Love ~

PLOT SYNOPSIS: 

REVIEW: Some time ago I began reading debut novels by authors from various genres.  Though I started this quest by mere accident, having one day noted that the most recent few books I had read were the first the authors had written, I continued the trend purposefully.  I find a special excitement in reading an author’s first word-gift to the world.  For these are often novels born of toil, labor and pure determination.

With LUCKY IN LOVE, Melanie Schuster makes her descent into the literary world.  The book’s hero, Clayton “Clay” Deveraux can best be described as sexy, confident and always prepared to take control of a situation.  But Clayton is totally unprepared for his meeting with the tall, elegant heroine, Andrea Benita “Bennie” Cochran.

When Clay’s younger brother’s adventurous side leads him to attempt to acquire Bennie’s very thriving and successful radio broadcasting company, more than just a few feathers get ruffled.  With this in mind, Clay flies to Detroit looking to smooth the feathers of the corporate executive his brother has offended.  Looking for the “nine-feet tall, mean as a black snake,” that was described to him, Clay is caught off guard when he instead comes face-to-face with a very cordial, gracious and attractive Bennie - a woman so in tune with others that she notices and even offers Clay medicine for a headache he never once voiced that he had.  It was this fated-meeting that begins the “luck” in both Clay and Bennie’s life. 

Readers are allowed to watch as the always-in-charge Clay fights with emotions he just can’t seem to get a hold of.  We watch as Clay’s logical side, which sees all the complications that would surround a relationship with he and Bennie battle against his emotional side that only sees a gem of a woman, far too valuable to let escape.  It is this battle that Ms. Schuster uses to interweave the very humorous scenes into the novel.

Readers are likely to fall out on the floor laughing while watching Clay try to set Bennie up with someone else in an attempt to rid himself of his attraction to her, only to have his male-ego bruised in the process.

In LUCKY IN LOVE, Ms. Schuster weaves a story of nurture, friendship, family and sensuality in spades!  Take that combination and sprinkle it throughout with mystery, tragedy and humor and it is easy to see why readers will want to keep their eyes peered for future offerings by this author.

The pace of LUCKY IN LOVE varied.  I would have liked to see more of the even-flowing pace that’s presented at the beginning continue throughout the story.  The middle part of the story transitions scenes so rapidly that it’s difficult not to get lost.  And then the latter part slows down a bit too much.

Along with the strong hero and heroine, Ms. Schuster depicts vibrant, witty secondary characters as well.  Instrumental and delightful as they were, the secondary characters were a bit too visible.  I would have liked to see more of that spacing dedicated to helping us understand Clay and Bennie’s personalities.  At times, Clay seems to border on cocky, while Bennie comes across as super-human.  With these images, it is hard for readers to develop the empathy needed to understand why some of the decisions Clay and Bennie must make regarding their businesses and their relationship are such a big deal.  Ms. Schuster does later allow readers the chance to understand the characters a lot more and develop this empathy.  However, it is an understanding that I would have liked to happen earlier in the story.

So just what makes a good debut novel?  Perfection?  No. It is rather potential and promise that makes a novel stand out.  Readers want to see an author’s potential for emerging as a flower to watch blossom in the literary field and the promise of many bound-to-please novels to follow.

LUCKY IN LOVE does just that.  It not only provides us with a good read, but it also shows the potential and promise for even greater things to come.  Readers should begin now to expand the bookshelf space for the “delightful treasures” section of their personal libraries.  Ms. Schuster’s knack for storytelling commands that we do just that.

25th July 2002