The Playboy Bachelor

May 8, 2017
It’s hard to make a hero out of a shallow guy who let his best friend down when she needed him the most, but Van Dyken manages it in her satisfying second Bachelors of Arizona contemporary (after The Bachelor Auction). Margot McCleery is still scarred by the accident that killed her parents. Even years later, she can’t understand why her best friend, Bentley Wellington, never showed up to support her during that difficult time. Margot, who now has a thriving career as a romance author, has become a recluse. Her grandmother “buys” Bentley at the bachelor auction, hoping he’ll pull Margot out of her shell. Bentley isn’t exactly thrilled by the prospect, knowing Margot will never forgive him for abandoning her. The two angrily dance around each other until the emotional walls come down and they admit their true feelings. Readers will cheer for Margot, who has lost so much, and even Bentley, who has more depth than is initially apparent. Van Dyken succeeds with this well-characterized, tightly plotted tale. Agent: Erica Spellman-Silverman, Trident Media Group.

Dyken's audiobook is read by two narrators with very compatible styles. The work is the second in a trilogy but stands easily on its own. Bentley Wellington, the playboy of the title, is "bought" at a charity auction by the wily grandmother of Margot, Bentley's BFF from high school. Bentley must spend a weekend, which turns into a month, lavishing attention on Margot to fulfill his charity obligation, even though they haven't seen each other for 10 years, and they didn't part on good terms. The plot is predictable but affecting, and the likable narrators bring a freshness to the tale. L.C.L. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine