The Husband Quest : The Luchetti Brothers (Superromance)

Rating:
Summary: Another great romance from Ms. Handeland
Review: (...)

Lori Handeland has written another winner with this newest addition to the `Luchetti Brothers Saga,' The Husband Quest.

Jilly Hart has been called any number of things... gold-digger, trophy wife, etc. She had lived a hard life as a child and refuses to ever succumb to that again. In her world, there is no such thing as love or magic, only money and assets. When her latest in a string of rich elderly husband dies, she finds out she doesn't have a penny to her name... only an old inn in South Fork, Arkansas.

Evan Luchetti is his family's ladies man. He has always been the brother all the women were crazy about, and he has more notches in his bedpost than most men his age. But when his latest relationship goes south after he proposes, he decides he is tired of the life he had been living, and goes to make a new one in Arkansas. There he takes a job restoring an old inn that is rumored to be haunted.

When Jilly arrives at the inn, shocking Evan when she tells him she's the owner, and wants a partnership to restore it and sell it, they settle on a fair deal. Neither expected the attraction they'd feel for one another, but can't act on. Jilly needs to go about the business of finding her next rich husband, and Evan has decided there will be no more sex for him without love. What they didn't know was that they would find exactly what they needed... in each other.

Once again readers get to spend time with some beloved characters, old and new. Evan has always been a playboy, but has grown tired of the reputation. His decision to change his ways was a long time coming, but gives him the chance to grow as a person. Readers of the past Luchetti Brothers books always knew there was more to him than was on the surface, and this story shows it. Jilly, on the surface, seems shallow, but once readers get to know her, they can understand and even sympathize to some extent with the reasons she chose the life she did. Both Evan and Jilly turn out to be much deeper, richer individuals than anyone had ever given them credit for. They just needed the right atmosphere for that to show.

There is a wonderful cast of characters found in South Fork, from the local wise woman, Addie, to the bachelor Seitz Brothers, Larry, Barry and Jerry, to the superstitious Wilder sisters, Naomi and Ruth. Add in a menagerie of animals encompassing everything from a toothless alligator to an ancient horse, and a few ghosts, and the delightful mix will engage readers from beginning to end. Readers get a chance to visit with some beloved Luchettis from previous books as well.

As always, Ms. Handeland has penned a rich story, full of plot and emotion, that will more than satisfy readers, be they old fans or new. This reviewer got a few chuckles out of the escapades of the animals, as well as a few tears over some more emotional scenes in the story. Go out and pick up this latest Luchetti story today, it's guaranteed not to disappoint.

(...)

Rating:
Summary: Enough with the stereotypes, already!
Review: Normally I get aggravated at people who review a book without having read the whole thing, and though I'm guilty of that here, maybe this will serve as a warning to somebody else considering it: This book is corny and doesn't live up to its back cover copy. The synopsis would lead you to believe that the hero is a good guy who will help the lonely and misguided heroine discover the important things in life. BUT--she can't think of much but sex and her multiple marriages, and he can't think of much but sex and his past sexual exploits. Irritating, to say the least. Plus there is the bizarre portrayal of all the residents of the fictional town of South Fork, Arkansas, as nineteenth-century hillbillies. I live in Arkansas, and strangely enough, I have indoor plumbing, I don't have a horse in my front yard, and I don't know anybody who believes in "ha'nts," goes to wise women, or makes bread without the aid of a bread machine. In short, if the actual town of West Fork, Arkansas, wants to sue Handeland, it will probably have a pretty good case. Skip this book if your irritation threshold is low.