The Balance Thing

July 31, 2006
In her chick lit debut (following two murder mysteries), Dumas, a Bay Area software exec, struggles admirably to create a heroine who's lovable but empowered. Becks Mansfield is a tough software marketer walking a fine line in San Francisco's tenuous postboom economy. After yet another company's restructuring leaves her without a job (and, by her estimation, a life), "date-lazy" Becks finally takes the advice of her trio of fashion-forward friends—sunny surfer girl Vida, obsessive-compulsive bride-to-be Connie and dermatologist/theater queen Max (he's a guy)—and applies her ambitions to the romantic realm. The fab foursome launch on a journey of designer cocktails and spa treatments, as dates and Connie's dreaded "destination wedding" in London loom. Becks also juggles a job search with what she considers to be well-paid hackwork: recording the voice of Vladima, a goth cult hero of the animated undead. The dialogue is breezy and believable, but Becks dissects her work life in tedious detail as she gets more involved in Vladima—and her creator, Josh. When forced to decide between the job opportunity of a lifetime and her commitment to Vladima (and, natch, to Josh), Becks must stop and ask herself a pressing question: "Was marketing cool?"

September 1, 2006
Rebecca -Becks - Mansfield, marketing genius for high-tech startups, has hit a prolonged professional dry spell in the wake of the dot-com bubble burst. Her only current employment is as the voice of Vladima, an Internet-based animated vampire vixen with an increasingly large -albeit underground -fan base. The usual plot elements are all represented here: the extended urban family with the well-dressed, successful gay friend; the meltdown confession shared with a random stranger who turns into an unlikely benefactor; and an elaborate, English-country wedding (of Becks's best friend -turned -bridezilla). The treacly elements of the novel are counterbalanced by the techie setting and the spot-on depiction of Becks learning, somewhat slowly, to maintain a healthy balance among love, friendship, and career. This work is certainly a departure in genre from Dumas's Charlie Fairfax mystery series ("Speak Now"; "How To Succeed in Murder"), but both fans of her earlier novels and general chick-lit readers will be more than satisfied. Recommended for most public libraries." -Andrea Y. Griffith, Loma Linda Univ. Libs., CA"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2006
Becks Mansfield is passionate about one thing: her career. So you don't want to be the man who gets in her way: she's a dedicated dumper. But when a series of dot-com bombs leaves her unemployed, Becks is at loose ends. She does have work as the voice of the animated vampire-heroine Vladima, but that's not exactly the step on the corporate ladder she hoped to take. Plus, the hard-to-ignore chemistry with Vladima's nerdy-but-cute creator is making this side job a bit more complicated. It's the classic struggle between personal and professional fulfillment reimagined as a romantic comedy about life and work in San Francisco after the bubble burst. Dumas writes with easy wit about dating, job interviewing, bridesmaiding, and all the other pursuits of a modern single woman. Although she isn't mining much new territory, she does win points for likable characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)