First, the details of the book:
Everything But A Husband
Karen Templeton
250 pages
ISBN 0-373-27120-4
Silhouette Intimate Moments
Now, to the meat of the matter:
I find it interesting that I, who once swore up and down that I'd never read a category romance novel because they were all poorly written, trite, and laughable, am enjoying the category books I have read more than some of their longer cousins. I guess people really do change.
Galen Granata, the heroine of Everything But a Husband needs to learn that lesson in a big way. Galen's grandmother has just died, after Galen's been living with her for three years. She moved in after her husband died, intending to stay only temporarily. After the funeral, Galen discovers that she is the sole benefactor of Grandma's life insurance policy, a policy that comes out to a cool quarter of a million dollars.
She's called by a long-time, older friend, and invited (or charmingly coerced) into leaving Pittsburgh and visiting out of state. Let the matchmaking begin.
Cora, Galen's friend, has car troubles just before she's supposed to pick her up at the airport, and recruits Del Farentino to go in her place. Del is an architect, the head of his own company. He's also a widower, and the father of a deaf daughter, born on the same night his wife died.
Del is, to put it bluntly, gorgeous. As gorgeous a hero as I've read in a while. He is not overly flattering, nor is he bullying or insulting. He's just human, realistic. He's overly protective of his little girl, and stubbornly determined to run his business his own way.
Galen is emotionally damaged. She got married at 18, to a man much older. A man who wanted her to be a good girl and to play a specific role. She's played roles all her life. When she eventually moves to Cora's (and Del's) home town, to buy and open an Italian restaurant, it's the first thing she's done on her own, for herself. It's terrifying, of course, and it rang true with me, at least. Who hasn't known what it feels like to take a first major step on your own?
Of course there's conflict between Galen and Del, between the woman who doesn't want to rely on another man and lose herself, and the man who wants to take care of a woman he 'shouldn't' get involved with, at peril of his own heart. There are moments when Galen's protests and tears almost get to be too much, but for the most part, this is an enjoyable, easy, happy-ending read that I heartily recommend.
Recommended:
