reviewsbyerin

I confess that I'm not much of a fairytale kind of girl. Princes and princesses can come or go. I like the real life kind of stuff that I can relate to and take part in. But fairytales are very popular in our current culture, and I have become more aware and engrossed in their various forms over the past year or so, largely thanks to ABC's "Once Upon a Time." When I saw this title and cute cover I was intrigued, and it was the tagline "A Contemporary Fairytale" that convinced me I should give this one a try.

This is the story of Julianne, a successful lawyer just starting her own practice with her childhood best friend Will. She's dreamed of finding her white knight for as long as she can remember. On the way to work one day, she sees a handsome man save a dog which had been hit by a car. In the process of saving the dog, his work boot and toolbox get left behind at the scene. Julianne retrieves the box and the footwear and places an ad in the newspaper, sure that a man both ruggedly handsome and animal conscious has to be made for her.

Will has almost worked up the nerve to tell Julianne that he's been in love with her since they were kids. He's tried to forget his feelings for her after their one bad date in high school, and he knows she dreams of someone dreamier than him. But try as he might, his heart belongs to Julianne and Julianne alone. When she arrives at the office one morning saying she saw the perfect guy, and all she needs is to find the man who fits that boot, Will's frustration reaches another level.

While Julianne searches for the man she thinks is Mr. Right, she and Will struggle to get their new law firm off the ground. Their first client is a former coworker who is being defamed by a child for accidenally shooting her pet pot-bellied pig. There's also the comedy of needing to work with people both Will and Julianne dislike, all in hopes that it will pay off with business success someday.

When Julianne's ad is answered by the handsome, mysterious stranger, she's dismayed to find he may not be her white knight after all. But surely one doesn't meet their beloved on a ten-speed bike in their own neighborhood when they are too young to know better, do they? Even as new feelings for Will begin dawning inside of her, Julianne fights to lay claim to something that matches her dream criteria. How much of her life and reputation will she destroy in the process?

This book was more of a straight-up romance than I usually read. It was a Christian story and there were more plot twists as the story went along, but for the most part it was simple, easy, and a bit predictable. My other complaint is that the author inserted some anti-gun propoganda that didn't fit with the tone of the story at all. Overall, this would be a lovely summer read for anyone looking for a few hours to rest, relax, and let the story entertain you.