Dec 20 2008
REVIEW: Confessions of a Lingerie Addict by Jennifer Ashley
Dear Ms. Ashley:
The premise is that Brenda, our heroine, wakes up on New Years’ Eve, naked and in bed with a buff naked man. He jumps up, covers himself and runs out. Brenda has just been dumped by her boyfriend Larry, one of the richest men in Southern California. Being in bed with a stranger somehow awakens a new Brenda, a wild new sexy Brenda who is addicted to buying sexy lingerie.
The anonymous naked man turns out to be Nick, Brenda’s arch radio DJ rival for the hearts and ears of the morning drive commuters. After finding out who the other is, the two begin an on air banter, causing the listeners to start taking camps and some even rooting for the two to get together. While I thought the concept of the banter was cute and interesting, I wondered at the logistics. Like how could a commuter listen to both at the same time (this was before podcasting and the like). Also, I thought the online banter was a little, well, weak. It was more corny than witty.
It’s a bit of a slapstick contemporary with Brenda’s radio station changing formats faster than rakes change their mistresses. Then there’s Brenda’s mother who is dating her son’s ex best friend. And finally, there’s Brenda’s brother who is sleeping on her sofa after losing his job, money, and wife. Brenda is trying to deal with her family while trying to come out of her cocoon.
Nick is pretty much a saint to put up with Brenda who can’t decide what she wants, Brenda’s f-ed up boss, and her crazy family.
The storyline with Brenda kind of bothered me because how could he be “sued” for everything he had by his soon to be ex-wife when he had also declared bankruptcy? Further, it didn’t matter who had an affair, really, in the divvying up of assets.
Suffice to say, while this book was readable, I didn’t really believe in the romance and I wasn’t drawn to the “humor” aspects of this book which really drive the story. C.
Best regards,
Jane
This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon. No ebook format (was originally printed in 2005).
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Dec 20, 2008 @ 15:50:47
This was a bit higher for me, maybe a B- -ish, in large part because I don’t think we see enough commitment phobic heroines in Romance, and I liked that Brenda had to face the reality of her own self-sabotage. I also liked that Nick is a nice guy but won’t be walked on — he has his own insecurities that make him wary when Brenda vacillates, which seemed realistic to me. I also thought it was clever the way Ashley plays with the “give the heroine a makeover” cliche, showing how unreliable those superficial changes are and how little difference they really make in terms of the kind of attraction necessary for a real relationship.
Dec 20, 2008 @ 16:06:49
This one worked better for me too. It’s been a while since I read it but I remember smiling and laughing a lot while doing so. My grade was a B.
Dec 20, 2008 @ 16:34:43
You’re reading a 2005 book? What’s wrong with you.
I really like her historical mysteries, under the other pen name – can’t think of it right now because I am drawing a blank -oh, Ashley Gardener. Those are really good and they have a subtle romance in them.
Dec 20, 2008 @ 17:00:00
@Keishon It’s a holiday book!!! Starting with the New Year’s Eve celebration.
Dec 20, 2008 @ 22:53:51
The book’s set in Cali, right? Um, isn’t Cali a no-fault state…?