Opposites Attract

March 31, 2003
Wealthy, idle heroines are the norm in the historical romance genre, but they're a much harder sell in the contemporary arena. Indeed, readers may find themselves unsympathetic to the plight of New Orleans native Jonquil Livaudais Landry DeVries, a pampered, pretty socialite who has spent the year following her husband's death drowning her sorrows in a tub of ice cream while her nanny cares for her five-year-old daughter and her housekeeper keeps her historic mansion pristine. Lacking a career and a general direction in life, Jonni spends her time pondering her husband's fidelity (or lack thereof), until her twin coerces her into letting a Hollywood film crew into her home to shoot a children's flick. Jonni perks up when she meets the film's star, super rich and sexy Cameron Scott, but she can't see why he'd be interested in her. Readers may also be hard-pressed to explain the attraction. Though North (Tangled Up in Love) makes it clear that Cameron, a stereotypical bad boy with a heart of gold, wants to settle down, Jonni is a mere cipher. The drama unfolds predictably, and a passel of stock supporting characters clutter the story with clichés. In the end, the only noteworthy aspect of the novel is its sex scenes, which are spicy but not enough to make the rest of the book worthwhile.

June 1, 2003
Jonquil "Jonni" Landry DeVries is wealthy, widowed, and in a rut, so when a Hollywood producer wants to use her mansion as a set in his new children's movie, she agrees. Cameron Scott is a megastar and the epitome of the Hollywood bad boy. When he first meets Jonni, whom he's loved since first sight, he is in makeup as the ancient hero, and she strikes up a comfortable conversation with the sweet, elderly man. But Cameron dreads the day when Jonni meets him just as he is. He fears that she'll react with the typical shock and distrust his exaggerated reputation brings on in "nice" women. Cameron can only hope that Jonni sees through the Hollywood hype and returns his love. Readers who enjoyed Lisa Plumley's comedy, " Perfect Together" [BKL Ap 15 03], will also go for North's humorous, often poignant look at a man who has to be in costume to be himself and a woman in search of her own identity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)