Sunday, April 14, 2013

Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich

Cover of: Crazy in Love (Warner Forever) by Lani Diane Rich
Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥

I though this was an entertaining read for the most part - the characters where interesting and fun and the set up was a pseudo-believable crime/romance combo - but I thought perhaps it wasn't quite the right "fit" for me. 


I am seeing a theme whenever I read a humor/crime/romance story - I don't take the crime part seriously (because honestly, when the tone is light and funny, my inner Skeptic feels like it's not really meant to be a dire life/death situation for the characters). I also don't totally invest in the romance angle, because with all the stuff about the crime and mystery, there's less time devoted to showing how the romance unfolds. I won't say that I categorically don't like these books - I do! But I guess they just don't do it for me because there is just a lot going on. In any case, this was a fun, light read and I would probably pick up another from LDR.

She: Privileged daughter of a wealthy real estate developer who doesn't really have a sense of direction or purpose until she joins the family business and is put in charge of taking care of a cute but not hugely profitable hotel that the family inherits from a dead aunt. 

He: Former cop and current bartender at the hotel who has some suspicions about an embezzlement case involving the hotel.

Conflict: There was no conflict between the H&h per se. There is chemistry and attraction between the two as they try to solve the embezzlement case together and then the only thing standing between them is whether she will stay at the hotel or whether she will return to her driftless life in the city.

What I liked:
1) I thought the mystery part was handled well - there weren't many characters in the novel so it was easy to feel like "oh, I knew it!" when you get to the whodunnit. But honestly, I wasn't trying to "pre-solve" the mystery so it was engaging.

2) Both characters were likable and nice. The H seemed very young. I couldn't say why - maybe because he wasn't a game-player - he just seemed like a genuinely nice dude. She too came across and someone who was sincere in trying to find somewhere where she really fit.

What I thought was only meh:
1) They were attracted to one another, yes, but there wasn't like a big wham! scene where they were hot and heavy and clearly meant to happen. It all was very nice and cute and a tad bit slow...

2) There was a thing about the dead aunt's ghost "communicating" with the h. I guess I just don't dig paranormal stuff because it razzes my Skepto-meter and makes everything else just a little less believable.

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