Rating: 
Summary: Dreadful!
Review: ...This book is dreadful.Even though romances, by definition, are predictable, with happily-ever-after endings, getting to those endings is supposed to be the fun part of the read. There was no fun here. The dialogue was...dreadful. Real people do not talk the way that these characters do. The author shows off her knowledge of the obscure and intellectual in the allusions she has her characters toss off in purported conversation. Often, these allusions are so obscure that the author only can justify explaining them by having the responding character answer by saying, "Huh?" Yes, "huh" comes up again and again in this purportedly snappy dialogue. The plot, even for a fairytale, is implausible. The ostensible hero is a stock market guru and billionaire whose mother owns a dating service. The heroine does not realize that she and the dating service owner reside in the same Manhattan apartment building. The heroine is persuaded by her sister to use this dating service but, since its propietor is on her own honeymoon, the billionaire son is running the business for Mom. So, thus do our hero and heroine meet. Huh? Haven't these people ever heard of staff? Is it possible that a busy billionaire is taking time away from his own career to manage his mother's dating service? Of course, the billionaire is taken with this perfect heroine, but he's gun-shy about marriage because of his mother's multiple attempts. But, wait. The son also is housewatching Mom's penthouse, so it is fictionally inevitable that the handsome billionaire and the beautiful single woman who is his client will bump into one another as neighbors. (Actually, housewatchers are hardly necessary in the full-service luxury buildings of Manhattan.) And, when the roof starts to leak, right into the penthouse, he realizes that he...has...no...choice other than to take refuge in the small apartment of the beautiful new client of his mother's dating service. Huh? Hasn't the brilliant billionaire ever heard of hotels? ... The only virtue of this novel is that, while the heroine is openly promiscuous, eager to sleep with men on the first date, she insists on using condoms when she does so. Now, that's a positive message...
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, Insightful, Smart and Funny!
Review: I am not a reader of this genre in particular, but I saw this book and it seemed different from the standard "romance". Which it is. I found this book to be a delightful read. It's hilarious (i.e. the VFA - Very Famous Actor- chapter is hysterical. And I live in LA, I should know!) and really intelligent. Not many authors can successfully get away with lines from "Taming of the Shrew" in a lighthearted comedic bok. But Ms. Carroll does it. And very well. I have already recommended this to many of my friends who will get a kick out of the many bad dates (haven't we all dated a Glen?). GET THIS BOOK! It's the perfect summer read!
Rating:
Summary: Blecch!
Review: I have to admit that this is not typically a book that I would pick up and read, but my wife enjoys this genre, and even she gave a verdict of "dumb" and "badly-written." She brings home lots of books, like the Stephanie Plum series, which I enjoy, so it isn't like I am a complete stick in the mud. But it hurt even to skim through this book. It was painful from the very beginning. There certainly is no doubt that, when all is said and done, the two characters will finally realize that they were destined for each other, blah blah blah, etc etc etc...so why are we even bothering with everything in between? She could have made it a little less obvious, perhaps. Does anyone still read Eliot's "Middlemarch?" The reader would assume that Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate will ultimately end up together, because it was so obvious that they were made for each other. But it doesn't end that way, which is why, I suppose that "Middlemarch" is a classic, and "Miss Match" is the frothy, lightweight result of a tree's ultimate sacrifice. I also couldn't stand the clumsy attempts at witty repartee, a la Tracy and Hepburn. It just makes me cringe to read it. Do people really talk like that? I've never met any, and after reading this book, I hope I never do. If you absolutely have to fill your brain with this tripe, do yourself a favor: save yourself the money and check it out from the library. Then take that money, go to the bookstore, and buy a copy of "Middlemarch." It will be a rewarding investment.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Fun Fun
Review: I read "Miss Match" on a transcon flight from New York to Los Angeles and never did a flight speed by so quickly! The lead character draws you in right away and I was rooting for her before we were over Philadelphia. It wasn't that long ago that I was 35 and dealing with Dating Disasters! Leslie Carroll deals with the complications of "romance fiction" with humor, and brings new twists to an old format. This was a really FUN read!
Rating:
Summary: Magical Adventure for the Senses
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Miss Match. What a delightful and sensual nourishment for my soul. Miss Carroll takes the reader on a journey of taste, smell, and sensation, and enables the reader to be present in the moment with each character, as well as lose track of time. Miss Carroll's style combintes wit and creativity, with a lyrical touch. I gave myself a wonderful gift when I bought this book! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to have a magigical adventure for the senses and the soul. Truly enjoyable!
Rating: 
Summary: Good with a Big Flaw
Review: Let me say in the interests of fairness that the book has a nice little plot with intriguing characters that are easy to like. Why, then, did I give it only three stars? I can answer that in one word: COMMERCIALS. The book has so much going for it that its constant stream of consumerism, akin to commercials on a TV show, is not only distracting but insulting. What do I mean? Well, the characters are educated and can use words of more than three syllables. Wonderful! It's hard to find intelligent characters in the romantic fiction genre. Some of their situations are inventive, if not outright refreshing. The characters themselves are well-drawn, as though the author created full personalities as opposed to relying on stock-in-trade archetypes. However, the myriad NAME DROPPING in this book is enough to make me resell it in a used book store! Do we really care that our heroine uses MAC cosmetics? Likes Cristal champagne? Can discuss designers as easily as most folks rattle off their order in a Wendy's drive-through? The cultural references are everywhere, and they're all high-dollar, superfluous, and annoying references. Such details make it hard for me to find an affinity with any of the characters. Most people -- even those who value the RIGHT restaurants and the RIGHT gyms and the RIGHT careers -- don't even about, let alone TALK about, such things half as much as the characters in this book. Their doing so makes them seem shallow, when in every other way they're not. If it's possible for you to ignore this part of the story, then read it, because the rest of it is good. However, since I already mentioned it, it may be impossible to ignore. I'm sorry that the writer or editor didn't make this minor alteration that would have improved the story immeasurably.
Rating:
Summary: Good with a Big Flaw
Review: Let me say in the interests of fairness that the book has a nice little plot with intriguing characters that are easy to like. Why, then, did I give it only three stars? I can answer that in one word: COMMERCIALS. The book has so much going for it that its constant stream of consumerism, akin to commercials on a TV show, is not only distracting but insulting. What do I mean? Well, the characters are educated and can use words of more than three syllables. Wonderful! It's hard to find intelligent characters in the romantic fiction genre. Some of their situations are inventive, if not outright refreshing. The characters themselves are well-drawn, as though the author created full personalities as opposed to relying on stock-in-trade archetypes. However, the myriad NAME DROPPING in this book is enough to make me resell it in a used book store! Do we really care that our heroine uses MAC cosmetics? Likes Cristal champagne? Can discuss designers as easily as most folks rattle off their order in a Wendy's drive-through? The cultural references are everywhere, and they're all high-dollar, superfluous, and annoying references. Such details make it hard for me to find an affinity with any of the characters. Most people -- even those who value the RIGHT restaurants and the RIGHT gyms and the RIGHT careers -- don't even about, let alone TALK about, such things half as much as the characters in this book. Their doing so makes them seem shallow, when in every other way they're not. If it's possible for you to ignore this part of the story, then read it, because the rest of it is good. However, since I already mentioned it, it may be impossible to ignore. I'm sorry that the writer or editor didn't make this minor alteration that would have improved the story immeasurably.
Rating:
Summary: MISS MATCH...a hot new read...
Review: MISS MATCH
by Leslie Carroll
Ballantine 2002 Leslie Carroll's Miss Match is charming and witty; the perfect book to take on an airplane or cruise ship -to the beach or resort or to curl up with by the fire on a cold night. Her characters are often eccentric, always complex and are so clearly drawn you see them in your mind and feel you actually know them as they are brought to life on each page. The leading lady, Kathryn (Kitty) Lamb, a high school drama teacher, has been touted onto Six and the City ( a dating service) by a flamboyant, nosey neighbor. She takes the bait...fishing for marriage material. Instead, she meets five guys who provide unpredictable situations...none of which spells c-o-m-m-i-t-m-e-n-t. The dating game's interim manager (his Mom is the nosey neighbor, owns it) Walker "Bear" Hart, in "real life" a financial whiz, sets the dates...but won't consider setting THE date. Expecting the perfect mate, Kitty is foiled when each of Six and the City's video prospects propel her in the wrong direction...not to the perfect romance, but to a prospective bigamist, to jail, to a necrophiliac, to Hades, and to a double cross. Every episode is a delicious scenario all by itself. But the question remains...will Kitty ever find happiness with the man of her dreams? During this truly fanciful New York journey, we meet Kathryn's upper east side MBA sister; Johanna, her two year old niece and "Bear" Hart's oft-married mother. All of whom contribute deliciously to the ever evolving plot. The comedic repartee is a delight to read. It reminded me of those marvelous screwball romantic movie comedies of the 1930s and '40s. At [this price]it's the "feel good" bargain of the year!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully written!
Review: Ms. Carroll has hit upon a surefire combination: dimensional characters, realistic dialogue and just enough background to paint the scene for us. Would love to 'see' the NY she described, with two such real people. Great reading anytime, for any age. Can't wait for her next release!
Rating:
Summary: charming
Review: The Pros: I thought this was a great comedic romance. The witty reparteé between the main characters was refreshing. The hero was true to his nickname, Bear. He seemed like such a love-able, huggable man. His clutziness made him seem more "real". How many of us know men who are perfect anyway? He was sensitive and caring and funny. The heroine was like-able too. The author gave her a great sense of humor as well - the banter between Kitty and Bear showed the chemistry the two were supposed to share. The dates that Kitty was set up on were hilarious. It was a hoot to guess "what's wrong with this one?" It was a fun read, no great literature - but do we expect that in our romance? Nahh....I'm glad I picked it up. Cons: Like most romances the ending was tied up too neat and quick. Plus the mushy talk gets corny once the lovebirds have sealed their fate (also a downfall of most romances, but both are mostly forgivable.) The Brownie incident was kind of dumb and contrived to boot. I think the author could have come up with something better - like making Bear Kitty's bachelor #6. (May be predictable, but it would have been sweet!) And I would have LOVED to have had an epilouge. I always want to know what happens after "happily ever after."
Other than those nitpicky points - I was a thoroughly satisfied reader!
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