Let the Romance Begin

Rating:
Summary: Not my kinda romance...
Review: Reaching back on one of my bookshelves, I was drawn to the cover of LET THE ROMANCE BEGIN by Ellie Conrad and after skimming over the back cover decided I'd love to take a journey into a "seductive romantic novel that will firmly grab the reader's attention while titillating their erotic senses." Everyone needs a little romance right? Well, after reading, I felt a bit mislead and more annoyed than titallated.

Geneva and Derrick Fletcher are a semi-successful couple living in New Orleans. Both are a bit bored by their twenty-two year marriage and need a bit of excitement or romance to liven things up. Geneva is the owner of her own marketing firm, while Derrick is hoping to get a manager's slot at the music store where he works. Both are somewhat content in their jobs, yet when Derrick decides to slip out and entertain another woman, the dynamics of the marriage changes. When he goes too far, he rationalizes with himself that he has to do it again to make sure the passion is real. In the process of continuing his affair, he becomes distant with Geneva.

In turn, Geneva seeks attention via the emotional ear of another man who has made his intentions clear. When the secret gets out about Derrick's infidelites, Geneva conveniently has a business trip planned and hi-tails it to lick her wounds and get control of her feelings. Standing in the wings and ready to pounce is her admirer, just what she needs to get some romance and prove she's still a woman. It's not clear where things will go, but Geneva and Derrick will both have to deal with their demons, communicate their desires, and build their own passion...but is it too late?

As I mentioned earlier, I was looking for romance, love, and all those feel-good type of things to rekindle the marriage of the Fletchers, but what I found in the book was an annoyance with the characters and their actions. While the potential for the story was great, I simply wasn't feeling it, the switch in tenses, or the out of character actions of our protagonists. I will however say that some of the situations in this story threw an extra twist that made it an average read, smoothing out some of my distaste. While I acknowledge that this is a work of fiction, I can only hope this isn't the route married couples take on their search for romance.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers