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Rating: 
Summary: Another wonderful romance by Inglath Cooper
Review: Courtesy of WWW.LOVEROMANCES.COMA WOMAN LIKE ANNIE Inglath Cooper uses a unique story line in her romance, A WOMAN LIKE ANNIE, a story about a recently divorced woman trying to make a new start with her young son in the small town where her famous ex-husband grew up. In this story, Annie McCabe has a rather unique job, that of Mayor of the small farming town of Macon's Point. She's taken over the job from her long-gone ex, JD McCabe, famous baseball star and the previous mayor. Annie hopes to do a better job than JD, as well as make a better life for herself and her son Tommy, who is hurting from the divorce and missing his negligent father who had run off with a much younger woman to live in Southern California. Annie could care less if she ever saw JD again, but for Tommy's sake, she wishes he would make more appearances. Even a telephone call now and then would make Tommy happy. Annie is determined to do the best job she can to show the town that she cares. Currently, her biggest problem is dealing with Corbin Manufacturing, the town's largest employer. Its owner, Jack Corbin is set on shutting down the plant due to financial reasons. Annie's mission is to stop the closing of the plant, which would set off a wild chain reaction, as quite a few people in town could be left without a job, forcing them to move away to find employment elsewhere. It is in the best interest of the town to keep the plant open. Jack Corbin's mindset is different, however. He sees that the P&L statements are showing major losses in the past few years, and he finds it very disturbing. This was his father's company, but now that his father and step mother have both passed away, it is up to Jack to see that the company is making money. From the looks of things, Jack does not see any reason to keep the company going, although he knows how this could affect this small town, the town where he grew up. Annie meets Jack for the first time at a local restaurant, and is shocked to find she is very attracted to Jack. She's even more astonished to find they seem to get along, at least most of the time. Annie brings Tommy with her to dinner, since she can't get a babysitter in time, and she couldn't afford to cancel this important meeting. Tommy could have been a detriment, but to Annie's surprise, Tommy and Jack end up getting along famously. Annie sees hope for the town, but by the end of the evening she fails to get Jack to change his mind. He is still adamant about the plant closing. She leaves the restaurant feeling she's let everyone down, and is feeling awful that she is doing such a bad job as Mayor. Annie does all she can to convince Jack to listen to her. They decide to work together to figure out why the company has been losing so much money. This leads them to various adventures around town, sometimes taking on a comedic effect, other times taking on a rather heart-stopping effect, as they sneak around storage buildings and spy on various employees of Corbin Manufacturing. What Annie and Jack find out blows them both away. As they work together, the two form a friendship and a mutual respect, and of course we all know what follows after that! Complications set in when JD finds out about Jack through the newspapers, and decides to pay a visit to his ex-wife, who he still feels possessive about and does not like the idea of any man encroaching on what he thinks is his territory. A WOMAN LIKE ANNIE was another book by Inglath Cooper this reviewer enjoyed. Cooper obviously has a love for small towns, and it shows in her books. She also has a knack for creating likeable characters, which is important in a romance. Her plot lines also tend to be a little more unusual than the norm. The one fault may be too much emphasis on secondary characters, whose stories are almost as important as those pertaining to the main characters. But over all, this reviewer gives four stars to A WOMAN LIKE ANNIE, and is looking forward to reading more by Inglath Cooper.
Rating: 
Summary: Hope
Review: Following a nasty divorce, Annie McCabe accompanied by her small son relocates to Macon's Point, Virginia with a population just over three thousand. She quickly falls in love with the small town and wants to give something back to the people who adopted her when she needed a friend. She ends up becoming the mayor. Corbin Manufacturing is shutting down the plant in Macon's Point. The loss of jobs will devastate and perhaps shut down the town. Desperate to save Macon's Point, Annie must persuade the owner Jack Corbin to reconsider his decision. When they meet, Annie concludes that Jack obstinately wants to end his ties to his hometown. She plans to show him how much Macon's Point meant and means to him, but neither expected a minor distraction like love to confuse the issue. Though simplifying the complexity of a one business town losing its economic base due to a shut down (think Flint, Michigan), fans will enjoy this contemporary tale. Like Jack, readers will find it difficult not getting caught up in the enthusiasm of the heroine's whirlwind sell. Fans will appreciate her efforts to save her adopted town of finding Jack something to care about though she didn't think that it could ever be her and son. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: fine contemporary tale
Review: Following a nasty divorce, Annie McCabe accompanied by her small son relocates to Macon's Point, Virginia with a population just over three thousand. She quickly falls in love with the small town and wants to give something back to the people who adopted her when she needed a friend. She ends up becoming the mayor. Corbin Manufacturing is shutting down the plant in Macon's Point. The loss of jobs will devastate and perhaps shut down the town. Desperate to save Macon's Point, Annie must persuade the owner Jack Corbin to reconsider his decision. When they meet, Annie concludes that Jack obstinately wants to end his ties to his hometown. She plans to show him how much Macon's Point meant and means to him, but neither expected a minor distraction like love to confuse the issue. Though simplifying the complexity of a one business town losing its economic base due to a shut down (think Flint, Michigan), fans will enjoy this contemporary tale. Like Jack, readers will find it difficult not getting caught up in the enthusiasm of the heroine's whirlwind sell. Fans will appreciate her efforts to save her adopted town of finding Jack something to care about though she didn't think that it could ever be her and son. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Hope
Review: This book reminds readers that there is hope. This book is cleverly written with lots of original funny quips. The description of what it is like to be divorced after so many years was an affirmation of my own feelings. I couldn't put it down until I was finished.
Rating:
Summary: True to the times
Review: This is a well-conceived story with a number of intertwined sub-stories. Cooper explores relationships between people: between old friends, new friends, between lovers, between former spouses, employees and employers. She touches on major and very real concerns that plague post-NAFTA small-American-town industry: cost, loyalty, productivity, image, profitability. She touches on the duties of elected officials in a small community. The challenges that face a single parent, dating while raising a child from an earlier marriage, and dealing with custody issues are especially well-written. There are very modern concerns of the economy of a small one-industry town, politics in the town, and the challenges faced by a woman mayor.
This pleasing novel features well-drawn and likeable characters and a believable storyline. The setting is vivid, the details enjoyable, the ambiance believably "Southern," the people and places interesting to read about. The food sounds good, too! The underlying tensions--in family relationships, workplace woes, parent-child custody issues--run throughout and keep the suspense alive. Goodhearted people with integrity solve difficult problems in a way that satisfies the reader. Honesty and justice are qualities that run throughout the book.
This is a fun read, and a good gift book. It leaves you smiling. In a world of real problems and hot issues on the never-ending tv news, a book like this is a refreshing drink of cold lemonade with homemade cookies under an old oak tree on a sunny afternoon. It makes you want a sequel to find out what happens to everyone later on.
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