What A Man's Gotta Do

Rating:
Summary: Karen Templeton's last book in the Spruce Lake series ROCKS!
Review: Eddie King has been back in Spruce Lake, Michigan for only a day and is already shaking things up in the small town. The itinerent five star chef certainly doesn't look the part -- faded Levi's and cowboy boots being part of his uniform. And why on earth had he let that ad for a chef, in some small town trade publication, bring him back here? Because it had been the only place he had ever really called home, even though he hadn't stayed long. But that was a lifetime ago, and Eddie has now committed himself to relieving the current owner of Galen's restaurant of her cooking duties while she takes maternity leave. He never expects to run into his high school crush, Mala Koleski, now a divorced, single mother of two, and just as round and soft-looking as she had been in high school. Mala is still way out of Eddie's league, or so he thinks, and he has no intentions of marrying and settling down, let alone taking on some other guy's kids. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself.

Mala Koleski does not believe in fairy tales. Even if her brother DID marry a real life princess, Mala doesn't see a Prince Charming in her future. When her husband walked out three years ago on her and their two young children, reality reared its angry head and bit her on the butt. With no contact and no child support from the ex since he left, Mala is determined to be independent. She runs her own business, and in the process is running herself ragged trying to keep it "all" together. Enter Eddie King, the hunk of a boy from high school who mysteriously disappeared all those years ago, and now has suddenly reappeared out of the blue. Just as, if not more, hunky, and still mysterious. And how did Mala let her best friend talk her into offering Eddie her upstairs apartment to rent? Well, she does need the extra income, especially with Christmas right around the corner...but do her long dormant hormones have to start zinging, NOW?

Karen Templeton shines on all counts in this final offering of her Spruce Lake series. Mala and Eddie are excellent foils for each other, and Ms. Templeton does a wonderful job of writing realistic love scenes that follow along naturally with the romance. I must say this is her spiciest book yet for SIM. It was a delight to revisit characters from the other books, and a hoot to watch them act and react to Mala and Eddie's relationship...or lack thereof. Mala's two young children are just as well-rounded and fully developed as the rest of the characters. They add to the emotion of the tale, not to mention some very humorous moments.

WHAT A MAN'S GOTTA DO is another endearing and heartwarming tale from the very talented pen of Karen Templeton. I highly recommend all of the books in this series to readers, and guarantee they will all make it to your keeper shelf! For more information on these books, as well as her upcoming releases, please visit Ms. Templeton's web site here: http://www.stormpages.com/uncon/kt.html

Rating:
Summary: Karen Templeton's last book in the Spruce Lake series ROCKS!
Review: Eddie King has been back in Spruce Lake, Michigan for only a day and is already shaking things up in the small town. The itinerent five star chef certainly doesn't look the part -- faded Levi's and cowboy boots being part of his uniform. And why on earth had he let that ad for a chef, in some small town trade publication, bring him back here? Because it had been the only place he had ever really called home, even though he hadn't stayed long. But that was a lifetime ago, and Eddie has now committed himself to relieving the current owner of Galen's restaurant of her cooking duties while she takes maternity leave. He never expects to run into his high school crush, Mala Koleski, now a divorced, single mother of two, and just as round and soft-looking as she had been in high school. Mala is still way out of Eddie's league, or so he thinks, and he has no intentions of marrying and settling down, let alone taking on some other guy's kids. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself.

Mala Koleski does not believe in fairy tales. Even if her brother DID marry a real life princess, Mala doesn't see a Prince Charming in her future. When her husband walked out three years ago on her and their two young children, reality reared its angry head and bit her on the butt. With no contact and no child support from the ex since he left, Mala is determined to be independent. She runs her own business, and in the process is running herself ragged trying to keep it "all" together. Enter Eddie King, the hunk of a boy from high school who mysteriously disappeared all those years ago, and now has suddenly reappeared out of the blue. Just as, if not more, hunky, and still mysterious. And how did Mala let her best friend talk her into offering Eddie her upstairs apartment to rent? Well, she does need the extra income, especially with Christmas right around the corner...but do her long dormant hormones have to start zinging, NOW?

Karen Templeton shines on all counts in this final offering of her Spruce Lake series. Mala and Eddie are excellent foils for each other, and Ms. Templeton does a wonderful job of writing realistic love scenes that follow along naturally with the romance. I must say this is her spiciest book yet for SIM. It was a delight to revisit characters from the other books, and a hoot to watch them act and react to Mala and Eddie's relationship...or lack thereof. Mala's two young children are just as well-rounded and fully developed as the rest of the characters. They add to the emotion of the tale, not to mention some very humorous moments.

WHAT A MAN'S GOTTA DO is another endearing and heartwarming tale from the very talented pen of Karen Templeton. I highly recommend all of the books in this series to readers, and guarantee they will all make it to your keeper shelf! For more information on these books, as well as her upcoming releases, please visit Ms. Templeton's web site here: http://www.stormpages.com/uncon/kt.html

Rating:
Summary: Average book. Writing seems old-school in places.
Review: Overall I would give this book a C+. Let me start by saying that this is the second book I have read by this author. Others have recommended her to me and though I did not care for the first book I read by this author, this book, "What A Man's Gotta Do", seemed promising. Great Cover and the hero, Eddie seemed like a great "bad boy". It was the heroine, Mala that I had some trouble with. Mala was a single mother with two kids. She worked and by most accounts had a tough time of it. The problem I had was with the writers voice, especially as it spoke through Mala. Parts of this book seemed as if it belonged in the 1970's instead of 2003. For instance, the phrase, "she set to cooking". Who speaks like this? Also, these characters are from Michigan, not the south. The common use of Mama by every single character in the book is really annoying.Also the fact that Eddie often refers to Mala as "Miss Mala"? What? This is not the south. I have lived in the south and not one person ever called me Miss Hoochie, especially a man I was dating. Little things like this take me right out of the story. Also, the constant way Mala has to defend her mothering, like making home-cooked meals and feeling guilty for bringing home take-out once in a while. It seemed that the author might have been a tad afraid of offending Ma Midwest by constantly having to remind the reader that Mala really wants to stay home/cook/clean 24/7 but hubby number one was a jerk.I would just like to have seen some better dialogue from these characters. It seemed to old-fashioned. I had to keep asking myself if people really speak like this?