Solo (urspr publ 1991; utgåvan 2002)

As always, a nice, entertaining, everything works out in the end book. Ross is persistent beyond what could reasonably be expected, and there is a nasty unfaithful wife, but mostly the characters are sympathetic. ( )

Tessa Duvall is an independent artist, who depends on no one but herself. It doesn't matter that she's barely scraping by: she has her pride. When Tessa reluctantly agrees to accompany her best friend, Holly, to a party at the ritzy hotel where Holly works, she isn't expecting much. Tessa isn't one for the lavish affairs that take place at the Grange--a hotel owned by the two incredibly wealthy Monahan brothers. That night, however, Tessa meets Ross Monahan, a renowned playboy. The two have a one-night-stand and Tessa doesn't think much of it: until she realizes she's pregnant. Meanwhile, Holly, spends her entire life throwing herself at Ross' brother, Max, but Max doesn't give her the time of day.

So, while this is a romance, and we're sort of all supposed to know how it ends up, we--as readers--are also supposed to enjoy getting there. It's like the cheesy Christmas movies I've been enjoying during the holiday season. Sure, you know immediately how they will end, but you should like watching the lovelorn workaholic and the handsome Christmas tree farmer fall in love nonetheless. Alas, it just didn't happen for me in this one. The plot was enjoyable at first, but then it just seemed like the same things kept happening over and over. And over. Pregnancies! Weeping! Running away! Angst! Some of the plot twists were just so strange and seemed inserted to keep the book going, but it didn't need to keep going, because it was *lasting forever.*

The majority of the characters annoyed me for most of the novel. Tessa, our supposedly independent heroine, spends a decent chunk of the novel running from her issues. And while I suppose that meant she wasn't running into Ross' arms, it was irritating nonetheless. Ross seemed to just be a cad, and I honestly didn't blame Tessa for avoiding him. The supporting cast was more enjoyable, but after a while, the book seemed bogged down by their own endless problems and "will they or won't they" issues of their own, along with a lot of plot devoted to Ross' exploits. After a while, I really didn't care who ended up with whom, I just wanted it all to be over. I smiled a few times and laughed a bit (Holly is a trip) but overall, this one just irritated me.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review. ( )

Tessa Duval ontmoet op een saai feest de knappe Ross Monahan. Tessa neemt Ross gewoon voor wat hij is: een leuke minnaar voor één nacht. Tot het weken later tot haar doordringt dat een nacht van onbezonneheid verstrekkende gevolgen kan hebben. Tessa besluit dat ze heel goed in haar eentje een baby kan krijgen. Maar Ross, niet gewend afgewezen te worden heeft héél andere plannen.....

Slightly? unbelievable with a main character who looks stunning wearing a cheap black jersey dress and no make up, has an amazingly diverse artistic talent and can fire back with the best comeback lines. She falls pregnant to a man who is stupendously rich, writes novels and scripts with next to no effort while running a luxury hotel on the side in Bath. Anyone else would jump at the chance to trap him into marriage but this girl maintains her silence and independence until her ditzy wealthy best friend inadvertently lets the cat out of the bag. ( )