# 28: The Wedding Wagerby Regina Duke
Another light read that I enjoyed, mainly because after a while, I cared for the heroine:
Megan's parents are missionaries, working and
living somewhere in South America. She has been fending for herself for
many years, and is used to a frugal lifestyle. When she is on her way to
Chicago where she is supposed not only to start
a new job but also a new life, a car crash makes her not only end up in
hospital for half a year but also means an end to her dreams of a new
life; the job goes to someone else, Megan has no place to live, and to top
it all, is saddled with huge medical bills
she fears will make her be in debt for many years.
Kevin comes from a very rich but dysfunctional
family. His parents live separate lives, and his father threatens to
take away his mother's part of the fortune; there is only one condition
that can make Kevin inherit the estate and secure
the financial future of his mother and his two younger siblings: He has
to be legally married before his 25th birthday.
With only a few weeks left until that day, and no
prospective bride in sight, Kevin takes desperate measures to find a
suitable woman by placing a job advert in the paper.
Megan responds to the advert without really knowing what she is getting herself into, and the stage is set...
The outcome is not difficult to guess, but of course there are obstacles to be overcome, last but not least by the feelings Megan and Kevin quickly develop for each other. As I said, a light, easy read, just right for those train trips to and from work.
# 29: Skinny Dipping
by Alicia M. Kaye
We're staying with nice and easy, only that this time the setting is not Chicago and rural Colorado, but London and the world of advertising: glitzy and glamorous on the surface, but a pool of sharks underneath.
Combine a hard-working expert in advertising who has a water phobia with a client who wants his swimming centres made more popular; a woman who has just been left by her long-term boyfriend because she works too much and a man who has lost the love of his life almost two years ago, and add to that a cast of secondary (but interesting) figures such as the parents, friends and colleagues of the heroine.
You get a mix that makes for an undemanding, relaxing read, which was just what I wanted. It was no surprise who got together with whom in the end - actually, it was clear from the very first moment both characters were introduced. But I suppose that is part of the charm of such "chick lit" novels; no nasty surprises lurking for the reader (only every now and then for the characters, to spice things up a bit).
The writing was not brilliant, but alright; proof-reading could have been better but was not so bad as to distract from the story.
Both these books were of course free on Amazon's kindle shop.
The outcome is not difficult to guess, but of course there are obstacles to be overcome, last but not least by the feelings Megan and Kevin quickly develop for each other. As I said, a light, easy read, just right for those train trips to and from work.
# 29: Skinny Dippingby Alicia M. Kaye
We're staying with nice and easy, only that this time the setting is not Chicago and rural Colorado, but London and the world of advertising: glitzy and glamorous on the surface, but a pool of sharks underneath.
Combine a hard-working expert in advertising who has a water phobia with a client who wants his swimming centres made more popular; a woman who has just been left by her long-term boyfriend because she works too much and a man who has lost the love of his life almost two years ago, and add to that a cast of secondary (but interesting) figures such as the parents, friends and colleagues of the heroine.
You get a mix that makes for an undemanding, relaxing read, which was just what I wanted. It was no surprise who got together with whom in the end - actually, it was clear from the very first moment both characters were introduced. But I suppose that is part of the charm of such "chick lit" novels; no nasty surprises lurking for the reader (only every now and then for the characters, to spice things up a bit).
The writing was not brilliant, but alright; proof-reading could have been better but was not so bad as to distract from the story.
Both these books were of course free on Amazon's kindle shop.
You are so right! I think that shops first blow up the prices then they have us believe that they are giving us discounted items! I once found a sweater at 12 Euros when a few months earlier I had paid 9 Euros for it. It's a rip off like you say, but once in a while you do find something that is a real sale. Here we now have many Chinese shops and they have good quality and low prices so they are always crowded. The shops with grand prices are empty instead. Kindle sounnds interesting but I prefer to read physical books and magazines, that's because I get headaches if I stay too long on the computer. I try to use it several times a day for only for a short while, with breaks in-between, maybe go for a walk and get fresh air. Although these days the "air" is quite strong ... winds at 45kms an hour, gales practically. As you know I am quite skinny so a friend of mine joked that I should walk around with rocks, so that I don't get blown away....
ReplyDeleteYour friend does have a point! I like a windblown walk - up to a limit, of course, and I need to be wrapped up accordingly to enjoy it.
DeleteWe do not have all that many Chinese shops here yet; in my country, Chinese companies are more interested in technology. But many fashion shops have their clothes produced at horrible conditions in Bangladesh, India and China, something I rather not think about too much when I see a piece I like. Trouble is, most of the expensive shops do the same!
As for the kindle, mine is the basic model, not at all like a computer. The screen has no backlight like a computer screen, it is a soft grey and easy on the eyes, even easier than reading from white paper. I prefer the kindle for travelling and physical books at home.