Someone Like You

Rating:
Summary: legal thriller police procedural romance
Review: In San Francisco, attorney Jill Strathern goes to see her spouse, who practices law in the same office. However, instead of legal or family matters, she catches Lyle with his pants down having sex with his assistant. Lyle's blithe comment is that she should have knocked. Reeling from the unfaithfulness of the man who supposedly loved her, that afternoon her firm gives Jill the pink slip, something that her rat of her husband caused. Taking their communal property car that he loves, Jill goes home to Los Lobos, California to temporarily take over a local practice.

Former Los Angeles police officer Mackenzie Kendrick returns home following the death of his partner and the subsequent death of his marriage as his wife could not cope with the darkness that engulfs him to become sheriff. When Mac and Jill meet, an attraction heats up between them, but she remembers as a teen stripping in front of him only to have him puke. As they fall in love while trying to pick up the pieces of their respective lives, neither sees hope for a future together as he plans to stay while she plans to move elsewhere to apply her corporate law expertise.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU is an entertaining legal thriller police procedural romance starring two delightful protagonists who know that like years ago the timing is wrong. The story line focuses obviously on the growing heated love between the lead protagonists, but also provides the audience with a deep look at a small town legal practice and sheriff's department with a dose of small town justice. Fans will relish Susan Mallory's fabulously fervent romantic cozy.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Jill & Mac??
Review: Jill has come home in Los Lobos, unwillingly, but where else can she go? She and her *lying weasel rat-fink dog* husband have parted. She found he and his assistant in a compromising position at their office-no less and she was the one let go! Mac Kendrick has just been home a couple of weeks too--he's now the town sheriff. Jill still has her teenage crush on him but now she's ready to act on it for sure. Our H/h do have many obstacles to overcome to realize they should be together for always. Custody of Mac's 8 y.o. daughter is a big one, Jill's Aunt Bev and her new boyfriend, he's part of the Mafia, is another and Jill thinks she wants to be back in a big city not a little town like Los Lobos and Mac has come back to town on purpose he knows this is where he wants to be. Ms Mallery writes the best characters -- Mac & Jill have many flaws, just your ordinary mixed up couple, but I fell in love w/Mac but wanted Jill to have him. All the secondary characters are colorful and fun too. Ms Mallery introduces us to Riley and Gracie from the Mar '05 release FALLING FOR GRACIE and I can hardly wait!

Rating:
Summary: Someone Like Yours Truly couldn't finish this book...
Review: Jill Strathern just caught her husband, pants down, with his secretary. Inexplicably fired the same day from the San Francisco law firm they both work for, Jill leaves her husband and the lifestyle she loves behind to go work in a small practice in her hometown.

Mac Kendrick is recently divorced and trying to maintain joint custody of his eight year old daughter. He's recently moved home from the big city to become sheriff of his small hometown. He has his daughter, Emily, on a trial basis for the summer.

I can't decide what this book wants to be. It's like the author started with a premise instead of a plot and just let the story meander from there. I can't really say for sure since I couldn't finish the book.

Jill moves in with her eccentric, psychic aunt next door to Mac. Way back when Jill turned eighteen she dropped her dress and offered herself to Mac and he promptly threw up. She's scarred, or whatever. He doesn't remember it because he was drunk. Anyway, we're supposed to believe that Jill never lost her crush on him and is ready to pick things right up where she left off. Mac is even more unfathomable, he just starts kissing Jill and I have no real idea why other than that he thinks she's hot. The relationship development is really adolescent.

As you might have guessed this book is a sales pitch for small town life. We've got the ridiculous mayor, Jill's nutty legal clients, the wonder-woman police dispatcher granny, the over-eager boy scout social worker, Jill's hostile secretary, etc. Everyone's a character--more like a caricature.

Mac's drama with his daughter is boring. This little girl keeps having creepy "bad feelings inside". I want to wretch.

Jill's mob boss client shows up from San Francisco to add more "drama" (because we needed more characters I guess? isn't there a formula for the number of characters that can successfully be introduced in a four hundred page novel?) Jill's other clients are page fillers, most likely to distract readers from the fact that the romance has zero chemistry.

I got about halfway through the book before I decided to give up. Let's just say I finally realized it was never going to get any better. It was just boring; boring and eye-roll inducing. Being a small town girl, I don't mind the small town thing if it's done well, if the characters are people you can care about, if *gasp* the central romance is good. This book just wasn't much of anything.

In the end, I give "Someone Like You" one star. This is not a good book, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out this author is capable of better, because her prose and style don't really lack anything. Anyone else sucked in by the back blurb, be ware--this book isn't what it masquerades itself to be.


Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Susan Mallery
Review: Susan Mallery's books are like fine chocolate or good wine, they're meant to be savored. I love that she doesn't rely on shock value to grab her readers. Someone Like You is not about who can blow up the most stuff or who does the most explicit/kinky sex scene. The characters, Jill and Mac, are people I could relate to, people I can picture living in my town.

I love Jill's and Mac's shared history, and the way they slowly fall in love. This is such a warm, wonderful book, a true love story that also deals with a lot of issues that readers can relate to like divorce, bumps in one's career, family.

I was so worried for Mac's little daughter, Emily, who is scarred from the past. I had tears in my eyes reading about her thoughts and doubts. But the book made me laugh, too, especially the sparkling dialogue between the two main characters.

By the time I was done with the book, I felt like I knew the town of Los Lobos and made friends with some of its citizens. An entertaining and delightful read.