UNDONE by Shannon Richard

Publisher:    Forever

Published:   July 2, 2013

ISBN:       978-1455547234

Genre:    Contemporary Romance

Format:   Ebook   

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

TWO-1/2 HEARTS

 

Paige Morrison arrives in Mirabelle, Florida feeling less than good about herself and her life in general.  She lost her job, her apartment and her boyfriend all in one fell swoop.  Now living with her parents life looks bleaker than ever, especially when her car dies out the road after yet another disappointing interview.  With her cell phone out of juice, wearing a rather high pair of high heels, she makes her way to the local garage where she meets Brendan King.

Brendan is everything Paige so does not want – a local boy, kind of a hick and a mechanic to boot.

On the surface he may not be what she wants but he may well be what she needs.

Brendan’s your basic local guy—a local guy who knows just what he wants.  With Brendan what you see is what you get.  When he meets Paige it’s not the stories going on about her in town that he tunes into, but the woman herself.  In no short order Brendan sets his sights on the city girl struggling to make it in a small town.  He helps her find a job and in a round about way helps her find some pretty terrific new friends. 

But is Paige ready to trust a new guy in a new town?

I liked Brendan from the moment he appeared on the pages of Shannon Richard’s UNDONE.  He’s the kind of guy any girl would like to have in her life if she’s paying attention to what is important.  Yes, he is gorgeous—your basic romance hunk, but there is so much more depth to the character.  He’s a good guy with a good heart.

The town of Mirabelle is definitely small town and quirky in its own way.  There were aspects of the town that would definitely lend itself to a fun cozy mystery—including Paige’s ultimate place of employment.

UNDONE started with some great lines and humor.  I found myself chuckling at odd moments because Richard had some really funny lines in there.  The story ran flat after awhile though—there was way too much telling and not enough showing.  Almost every chapter started with a “Paige did this, Paige did that” narrative that was flat in the telling.  I quickly began to feel nothing toward the characters.  Maybe a few less words and more action would have kept the story rolling along after what was a really good beginning.

I felt the end of Trevor’s story line was gratuitous in the way it played out.  It didn’t really add to the story unless it was the only way the author could find for Brendan and Paige to reach and work through their dark moment.

Richard does have a fun voice when it comes through.  I just wish there was more of it shown in the dialogue between the characters rather than a blow by blow narrative.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.