B
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
This RITA® Reader Challenge 2015 review was written by PamG. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Mid-Length Contemporary category.
The summary:
It takes one to know one
The moment Vivian Walker spies Seth Anderson she knows they’re a match made in hedonistic pleasure. And they both agree their one night together is all about fun, not forever.
Now, years later, Seth remains a favorite memory. Surely the sizzling chemistry has faded, though, right? Apparently not. Because he’s still sinfully attractive, and she likes the man he is. When he suddenly becomes a full-time dad to his newborn daughter, Vivian falls hard. Yet despite the responsibilities, he’s not a good bet for commitment. And she needs to guard her heart before she gets into trouble!
Here is PamG.'s review:
Usually when I approach a book for review, I carefully analyze the positive and negative qualities of said book and then determine a grade, often with a great deal of to-ing and fro-ing. In the case of Her Kind of Trouble, I knew from the first that the grade was going to be a nice, solid B. For one thing, I’ve read a lot of Sarah Mayberry, and she’s a go-to comfort read for me. Though I enjoyed this book, I didn’t savor it as I have my favorites among her work. So along the Sarah Mayberry spectrum, a definite B. Compared to other romances, there was an element in this that was my anti-catnip, but Mayberry, so B.
Her Kind of Trouble is loaded with the characteristics that make Mayberry’s work my crack. There is a powerful sense of place conveyed by strong, clean writing–never fussy or over-embellished. Whether describing an Australian street, a workplace, or the interior of a bedroom the author creates a realistic scene that enhances and furthers the story line. Of course, it helps that I dig all things Aussie (though I’ve never been), so a nostalgic account of “the clear, far-off blue of the Australian sky and the faint hint of eucalyptus that wafted through even the most suburban of streets on a sunny day” is bound to grab me.
Another trait that I particularly like is the preponderance of relatively normal people in Mayberry’s books. Both Vivian and Seth are small business owners, in areas that are related to if not directly derived from their youthful dreams. Their married siblings are accountants and their friends are working people. There are no dukes or Mediterranean billionaires or whizz-bang business prodigies with or without ties and toys. Workplaces and careers are often described with fascinating detail. Happenings in Vivian’s new fashion styling business are presented as exhausting yet really interesting.
This is the sort of detail that gives a relatively short novel heft and roots it in reality. Not only are the characters working people, they are also not scarred by excessively dramatic childhood trauma. Their families are not perfect, but they are not pathological either. They are ordinary yet not stereotypical. These characters could live in your neighborhood, maybe not next door, but just over the hill, You could meet them at the supermarket or the hair dresser’s or in a dentist’s waiting room. And you probably wouldn’t mind having them over for game night either.
Of course the most important element of a good romance is the central couple. Vivian and Seth are introduced as wild young things in their early twenties, each pursuing dreams that do not involve settling down. Meeting at their siblings’ wedding, both succumb to the instalust, enjoy a close encounter of the limo kind, and then ride off into the sunset but not with each other. The real story happens a decade later when Vivian moves home to Melbourne from the States. As grown-ups, Seth and Vivian turn out to be pretty nice people–smart, well-adjusted, confident, and thoughtful. Vivian actually seems to be a more together person than Seth, because her life seems much more in control than that of a man who is expecting an unplanned child with his ex-girlfriend. To be fair, Seth welcomes parenthood and works hard to get it right. Unfortunately, Seth also has the gall to criticize Vivian’s life choices, thus triggering one of the choicest reamings that I’ve read in a long time. Then Tragedy Strikes.
Her Kind of Trouble is an extremely emotional novel. There are elements of tragedy intermingled with the love story. All the feels are balanced by the flirtatious banter between the protagonists and the warm supportive family scenes provided by Jason and Jodie, his brother, her sister, and stars of the wedding in the Prologue. There is also a lot of smokin’ hot sex. Every time Vivian and Seth interact during the events surrounding Daisy’s birth, their mutual support gradually reveals the caring side of their natures to one another and to the reader. As their relationship transitions from the steamy physical to the affectionate and tender, they are nearly impossible not to like. The problem is that it is wicked hard to dance along that tightrope between emotion and manipulation. I thought the story staggered a few times, though I wouldn’t say it went splat in the center ring.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. The story was so well-constructed and flowed so well that it was easy to just get lost in the emotion and enjoy the characters. I enjoyed it as long as I was actually reading. But when I sat down to say what I liked and didn’t, I kept slipping into sarcasm, and that’s kind of a flag for me.
The first problematical element is my anti-catnip: babies. I am not a baby person. Yeah, I stepped up when my daughters were born, but as soon as the youngest hit toddler, I was so over the baby thing. When someone brings a little nipper to work, I just hang at the edge of the crowd and mutter “So cute!” with a fake smile. And no, I don’t want to hold your ickle darling. I’m afraid my bad attitude overflows into my reading preferences as well. I find the introduction of infants into the narrative suspect due to the manipulation potential. I know I’m in the meany minority here, but–what can I say–I don’t consider babies a necessary or desirable part of a love story. (Kids are another kettle of fish; as long as they’re given the same detailed depiction as adult characters, I’m fine with them.) So, Daisy would be a problem for me under most circumstances, but I suspect that even if I was cool with the whole baby thing, I would still find Daisy pretty bland. She seems to exist just for people to do things to, except when she hits you with her creepy mesmerizing stare. Baby as prop: not a good thing. Baby as plot device in a romance: a matter of taste.
My biggest problem with Her Kind of Trouble is not really the baby, but the baby’s mother, 24-year old Lola.
Again, person as plot device just doesn’t fly with me, and this is one area in which the novel definitely crosses over into manipulative territory.
Her Kind of Trouble is a great, emotional love story featuring protagonists with highly combustible chemistry. The writing, characterization, and storytelling are all excellent. To fully appreciate it, one needs to be comfortable with tragic circumstances and a lot of diaper changing. For me, this book is a solid B, but could easily be an A for someone without my aversion to the infantry and to emotional chain yanking.
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Thanks!
Great Review! I don’t have kids yet, want ’em, but feel I would be like you. I’m not a “baby person”, which in my family makes me weird, so I understood the issues you had with the book.
As for Sarah Mayberry, I’ve read two of her books and both books were ok and very “meh” for me. I do understand why other readers like her.
I’m also not a baby person. I’ll hold your child if you need both hands to do something, much like I’d hold your bag of groceries, but I have no desire to hold it. Now, if it was your cat, that’s a totally different story. Love cats! Kids & babies, not so much.
I’m not a baby person either! “Baby” is end-game, or even mid-game, for so many romantic novels. I understand your feelings completely.