REVIEW: Romancing Miss Stone: A Romantic Comedy (Belize Dreams, 1) by M.C. Vaughan
His perfectly planned life is about to go wild.
By-the-numbers Bo Ferguson has his future all planned. Then his archaeologist fiancée dumps him. Via text. From Belize. Navigating the rainforest to win her back is way out of Bo’s comfort zone, but so is the idea of starting over. Fortunately, he’s secured a tour guide willing to lead him into the unmapped jungle. Unfortunately, she’s annoying, impulsive—and attractive as hell.
Jungle expert Alexandra Stone is in no position to turn down a job after her regrettable ex stole everything from her family business and ran. Sure, Bo might be frustratingly uptight, but Alex needs the money. And besides, there’s something…fun about pushing the guy’s adorably rigid buttons, especially when it clearly gets a rise out of him.
But the close confines of their shared camp make it hard to ignore the tension beneath the bickering, prompting the sweltering heat between them to erupt into sweaty, wild passion. Bo can’t deny his brief time with Alex has been the most exciting of his life. But the journey they’re on still leads to one place—his ex-fiancée—forcing Bo and Alex to confront their pasts, their fears and the question of just where this adventure will take them…
CW/TW – panic attacks on page, the parent of a minor character tries to force a date for his asexual child.
Dear Ms. Vaughan,
When I saw that this is a take off on one of my favorite movies, “Romancing the Stone,” I got a little giddy. That movie is just such fun and I hoped that the book would be at least half as good. Wheeeee – the book is great! I had a blast reading it. There isn’t any suspense or danger though, just a very character focused story.
Bo Ferguson is a man with a plan. Lots of plans actually as Bo likes to be prepared. He has a reason for that but more on that later. When the woman he’s pined for, waited for, and finally got to say yes to his planned proposal leaves for three months and then texts him that they’re over, he’s stunned. His twin sister (please I want her story next) gives him some home truths about fiance Destiny (both how Destiny is and what sis thinks of her), Bo makes the decision to go to Belize and try and sort things out.
Alex Stone is desperate to raise enough money to pay off some of the debts she was left with when her sleaze of a boyfriend absconded with her money. Her most pressing creditor is also a sleaze and urging Alex to sell out her resort to him. When this buttoned down man arrives looking for a guide to his fiancé out in the jungle, Alex sees it as a way to make her financial deadline. Now can the two of them survive the trip and each other?
So yeah, I have to agree with all the characters who say that Destiny (the beotch) not even mentioning their cat Lorelie in the breakup text, says all we need to know about her. ::finger flick:: There, she is gone. Her scene late in the book just cements my feelings about her. Alex called it when she says that Density (Alex’s name for the woman) is a tool.
Alex and Bo couldn’t be more opposites attract if they tried. Bo, as Alex tells him, reads owner’s manuals like bestsellers. Alex has general-ish plans, a knowledge and love of Belize that lets her (successfully) improvise, and a reason why she doesn’t trust in love. She’s skeptical about why Bo wants to go to this much effort to see someone who treated him and their relationship the way she did but if Bo is willing to pay for her guide skills, Alex will get him there.
But in the process, the two will end up questioning a lot they thought they knew about themselves and discovering what really makes them happy. The banter is delicious – more witty instead of nothing but snark, the journey through Belize would make me want to go on it and see this fabulous sounding place, and best of all the two MCs act in ways that make sense given how their backgrounds and personalities are presented to the reader. Bo plans within an inch of his life because of legitimate things in his past while Alex’s faith in trust and love were shattered because of a recent person in her life as well as her mother’s casual approach to falling in love and marriage.
The changes that Bo realizes about himself are quick but just like Kathleen Turner in the movie, he sees that he can let loose a little and that this feels fun. Climbing the Mayan temple and just taking in the glory of the place – once he gets used to the howler monkeys – awes him. Alex tries the “just for one night, no strings attached sex fest” but is stunned to find out that with Bo it’s better than better and that he’s truly a deep-down nice guy through and through. I also loved, loved, loved Alex’s friends who help her with clothes, condoms, and getting out from under the “predatory interest” thumb of the “villain” all the while showing her that it’s okay to occasionally ask for help.
Yes, the story is fairly predictable, some of the circumstances caused a touch of eye rolling, Alex’s emotions flip-flopped just a bit too much, but dang it, it is so much fun. It’s a hang-onto-your-hat fast read that had me smiling. I just hope that Lorelie the Cat is enjoying her new oceanfront resort home, too. B+
~Jayne
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You had me at “Wheeeee – the book is great!” Loved the original movie and fun sounds really good. Thanks for the review.
Your review is so happy. The book sounds like it will be fun to read.
@Darlynne: It’s such fun. If you need a light palate cleanser after too much angst, here you go.
@LML: It made me very happy. ☺ I whipped through it in a day and a half. It’s very focused on Bo and Alex rather than a lot of side stuff.
Oh this looks like so much fun!
And today the book is on sale at Amazon UK (sorry, US) for GBP 2.99.