Up all night: "Alanna Evans is a busy young executive with a bad case of insomnia. Desperate for a good night's sleep, she decides to check out a renowned sleep clinic, the Knight Center. It's the last place she'd expect to meet the man of her dreams. But when Alexander Knight--the clinic's gorgeous benefactor--takes a very personal interest in her case, Alanna's afraid those sexy bedroom eyes of his might keep her up all night long ..."
Sweet Serenity: Serena Strickland runs a candy shop in Menneapolis that's every bit as wonderful as its name: Sweet Serenity. Unfortunately, her serenity is all but shattered when Tom Reynolds waltzes back into her life. Years ago, the rising young journalist turned her father's trial into a front-page scandal, and Serena has never forgiven him. But when Tom turns on the charm, she's surprised to find that he's as sweet as candy--and just as hard ot resist ..."--
There’s romance, and then there’s hokey. This compilation of two Barbara Delinsky stories borders on the hokey. The first half is Delinsky’s “Up All Night.” This features Alanna, a young working executive who has a problem with insomnia. When she goes in to a clinic for some testing, she meets Alexander, a wealthy benefactor of the clinic. From the very start, their chemistry is off. She is busy, and can’t sleep. He is busy and direct, yet comes off as a sort of stalker-esque creepy. Who meets a man at a sleep study anyway? While their story of boy-meets-girl was unique, it certainly wasn’t my cup of tea.
The second half features candy shop owner, Serena, in “Sweet Serenity.” She is enjoying her life as a confectioner until the journalist responsible for smearing her father’s name in the papers, Tom, shows back up in her life. Her internal struggle over her developing feelings for Tom is expected, but their rom-com romance is lacking. Typically, when you’re dealing with feelings over someone that’s hurt you in the past, there’s an electrifying passion. With Tom and Serena, however, it was fizzling. Their romance was far more believable and sweet than that of Alanna and Alexander, and gave this book a little more life. However, I felt as though it needed more realism and a little less Hollywood script.
Overall, if you’re looking for a different kind of romance, or you’re a fan of romantic comedy type stories, then this book is definitely for you.
Reviewed by Marie for Cocktails and Books
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16 March, 2013:
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