Mike,Mike,And Me (Red Dress Ink)

Rating:
Summary: Wendy Markham does it again!
Review: From the moment I picked this book up - I couldn't wait to find out which Mike Beau actually chose! Wendy Markham has done it again with a book that leaves you unable to do anything but sit and read from cover to cover! Excellent!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read!
Review: I loved this book! Being torn between two guys is no fun, and Wendy Markham captures it in a fresh, new way. She keeps you guessing about which Mike is in Beau's happily ever after. This book was difficult to put down. It is a great beach book for the girl who remembers the "other" boyfriend that she let go.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous tale
Review: In 1989, high school student Barbra "Beau" is dating Mike when she meets a new Mike. The two Mikes in her life are as different as any pair of people could be, but she likes both of them. After a difficult time making up her mind Beau finally picks one Mike and marries him, leaving the other Mike behind.

Fifteen years later, Beau and Mike remain married raising three kids and living in Westchester County, New York. When the rejected Mike contacts Beau, her dissatisfaction with being a suburban mom surfaces. She begins to dream of returning to the big city, doing something besides being a mom and wondering if she married the wrong Mike.

This fabulous tale rotates between the present and the past with the lead female protagonist considering which Mike is right for her in each time period. The story line uses 1989 teen cultural icons and other references to anchor that era, but does so within the context of the subplot. Wendy Markham also keeps readers guessing on which Mike became the spouse with that twist turning the story into a one sitting tale that in ways reminds the audience of hypocrisy of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Harriet Klausner



Rating:
Summary: Fair
Review: This Red Dress Ink entry is fairly clever. Our main character is married to Mike, but flashes back to whether she should have married Mike - the other one. Conveniently, the Mike she did not marry appears magically just when she is having doubts about her choice of Mikes.

I thought the basic premise of the book was quite clever. Although I am not a fan of the jumping from past to present, it was done well and was obviously needed in order to give us the proper information.

As with a lot of chick lit stuff, I got irritated with the main character here. She seems to live ONLY for her children and is entirely focused on pleasing everyone around her - except herself - a fact that is distressingly appearing more and more in chick lit.

I also enjoy this author's books and I give this one 3 stars - unfortunately, it was not as witty or fun to read as her "slightly..." series.

Still, not a bad read and I would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: That Eighties Show
Review: Wendy Markham takes a big step up from her previous work in "Mike, Mike and Me," but she's starting from below street-level. "Mike" is pretty silly and unbeliveable, and the heroine violates the basic rules of the genre: She's gorgeous and perfect, so why exactly do we want to read about her? And the constant '80s references get tiring about 10 pages in--even for those of us who were there. Yes, there was lots of silly music and bad hair, but who needs to hear about it every other paragraph? Markham does best with plotting and a depiction of suburban motherhood that really rings true. And I really didn't know which Mike our gal would end up with. Not bad Wendy, just lose the gimmicks and romance-novel heroine next time.