I didn't know which book to review and in the end, chose to review the last book I've read, which is Double Trouble by Claire Cross.
Double Trouble by Claire Cross
published by Jove in 2001
Maralys and Marcia are twins. Maralys is the bad twin, the one that didn't listen to her parents, the one that defied normality... the one that is still single with no kids. Marcia is the good twin, the one that accomplish all of her parents and the others' expectations... that is till she leaves her husband and two sons.All right... so that is a very short synopsis and it leaves out a lot, but I think it's better than to give the book back blurb which is misleading a little :P
Nothing is going well for James Coxwell and his wife walking out on him is the last of his worries. About to lose everything for which he work so hard in the past 2 decades, James has to make quick adjustments... and that includes correcting an error he's made almost 20 years ago...
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Coxwell siblings, Book #2
Why did I get this book? Well normally, I would have skipped this book, because I'm not a fan of the H/H being brother/sister-in-law or have previously dated your sister/brother storyline... I mean, isn't there something bizarre about it? What convinced me of picking up this book is that 1) I like the happy-go-lucky, unusual woman and stuffy, yuppy man falling in love storyline and this one looked like one and 2) Devon reviewed it and seemed to have enjoyed it.
My impressions: I was pleasantly surprised about this book :D The plot was much more than I expected. Some twists here and there. I was also sad, because it seems like Maralys and James' lives could have been so different and much happier.
The Heroine, Hero and Romance: I enjoyed both characters quite a lot :D However, there was something that prevented me from connecting with them in order to like them. Maralys wasn't as happy-go-lucky as we are led to believe in the black burb and she has an attitude... it's like an armor with a cynic/sarcastic breastplate to protect herself. She's also pretty blunt I guess... and she's definitively the "what you see is not what you get" type. I mean, she appears irresponsible and everything, but she's definitively not... she's like the pillar in her family. As for James, he was okay too... handsome, but he comes with lots of baggage and I think that made him stronger. So you have to admire that... as for the romance, I'm happy that it wasn't a twin replacement and falling in love with the twin plot. Maralys and James had had feelings for each other for such a long time, but they've been suppressing it. Also, I was glad that they didn't jump into each other's arms right away. I have to admit that the flirting started a bit too soon in my opinion, but the rest of the relationship was well written... they didn't see or talk to each other everyday, Maralys was very reluctant committing herself and so on, also James tried to settle with the kids and figure out his problems before the romance... So I guess it was quite realistic in that way.
Secondary characters: There was no "subplot" or "secondary romance" in this book; however, we were introduced to many characters... James' siblings which turns out to each have their own book; however, we actually didn't get to see them him... they were just mentionned. Maralys' group of girlfriends. Lots of potential there for future books, which I think is the author's plans. The great thing is that they didn't overshine and steal Maralys and James story. They really were secondary characters which is the way I like it :D Other secondary characters worth mentionning are Maralys father which kind of play an important role, James' kids of course and Marcia... but Marcia only appears near the end, so she doesn't ruin it.
What I liked: It's hard to pin-point exactly what I liked. Yes, I did enjoy the story, but were there things I particularly liked, I don't think so. It's more the general feel of the book and the story. Oh, and one thing I really liked is as I said above, the plot is more complex than we are led to believe at first.
What I didn't like: Two things... first the pacing. Although I was glad that James and Maralys didn't just fall for each other as soon as the twin walked away, the pacing was of the story was kind of weird which impacted the romance. The other thing I didn't like was that sometimes, the way the book was written, you kind of forget that James is 42 y.o. and Maralys is 38 y.o. I usually like the H/H to be younger, i.e. mid-20's to mid-30's, so I should have been happy... but because you forget the characters are so "old," they just don't fit with the storyline anymore.
Grade: B
