Less "cheese" please!!

Dream Lake - Lisa Kleypas

I don't know what's with this latest reading phase i'm in. But ever since Christmas, it seems that i'm only in the mood for some romance novels.

In that way, after finishing Rainshadow  Road, i decided to start with this one. And oh boy, was it promising!

Alex Nolan, is the youngest Nolan brother, and the most affected by his family toxic way of living.

Zoe Hoffman is the epitome  of a nice, kind woman, who basically just wants to be loved.

 

Nothing wrong with that. But at times, she feels like she could have lived in the fifties. She's somewhat a stereotype of the domestic goddess ideal.

Ir comes to mind, that in our day and age it must be hard to try to write a female character, who's isn't strong and fiercely independent, so kudos for the author.

I may have preferred that she had been written a little differently, but that's not the reason of this three star rating.

 

Like i previously mentioned in the Rainshadow Road review, i can't help feeling that the author is still trying to grasp this magical realism setting in which she started writing.

I have the strong idea, that this series could have been a lot stronger had it skipped the paranormal aspect. Or at least, if it had been dealt in another way.

 

From the moment i started reading this series, that this reminded me of Nora Roberts trilogy "Three Sisters island". Which i loved! Okay i was a lot, lot younger, but i like to think that i would still like it today.

At least the romantic parts of it.

Nora Roberts is another author for whom the paranormal aspect can be a little tricky. In fact, i mostly dislike her series that are mostly fantasy oriented. They end up being too basic, with that outdated eighties vibe....with cheesy incantations.

 

Lisa Kleypas and her Friday harbor series is pretty much along the same NR story line: contemporary with a dash of paranormal.

But while, in Nora Roberts books we see the characters of the different books interacting with one another (normally sisters, brothers or just friends) Lisa Kleypas doesn't do that.

We don't see the Nolan brothers getting all friendly with one another, while trying to deal with their messed backgrounds. Then we don't see the girls interacting and becoming friends.

 

In this one, the paranormal content consists mostly of a ghost.

A very friendly ghost who ends up stalking Alex Nolan. 

Now both of them couldn't be unhappier about the situation.

Alex is a borderline alcoholic, and the ghost just wants to find out whom he is/was, and why is he stuck with Alex.

 

The mystery is pretty much basic, but even so i was liking it.

 

The romance, once again, it seems that the author instead of starting with the first gear, ends up choosing the second or third gear and pushes down her foot at full speed! It becomes too much! When we are talking about historical romance, i can give it a discount. Life was kind of boring...but right now?

With a contemporary setting? Too much "love" in our days doesn't pretty much lead to a happy life. Normally it leads to a messy divorce, and stalking accusations.

I know, i must be sounding like a broken record, but i really dislike the whole neanderthal thing of lust at first sight!

 

Luckily things do get better, and we are able to see Alex and Zoe trying to deal with their attraction.

 

Then there was some pretty intense scenes! No one can say, that the author doesn't know how to build an atmosphere of sexual tension.

 

So here i was, grinning like an idiot, an sometimes even at risk of crying a tear or two, because this at times, IS intense, and heartbreaking!!

And then i got to the last pages, and it was so cheesy!!!

Imagine a balloon (me).

Imagine a cactus.

Imagine the balloon encountering the cactus....it was so sad...for the balloon...me! All my hopes for a four star rating just puffed away...

 

So yes, i liked this book! Most of the time i was liking at a four star rating level!! But then there were those occasional two star rating moments, and finally two cheesy one star rating moments!!

As if the whole, outside the body experience description wasn't bad enough , the way it ends, it was just too sugared!! Honestly, this should come with a diabetes warning!!

C'mon this is Alex were talking about!! Would he really behave in such a way???

Is it just me who finds public declarations of love corny?

And super, with extra creamy sugared cheesiness, absurd???

Privacy people. Please!!!

 

 

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Buy "Dream Lake"

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