REVIEW: Rescuing Love by Jules Court
Recently fired attorney, Becca Lynch, only came home to Cape Cod, Massachusetts to strap on a bridesmaid dress and accompany an old friend down the aisle. Just one week of pretending that her life’s great and she’s not secretly falling apart.
A complication of the male variety is the last thing she wants. But a blistering encounter with a handsome stranger in the employee bathroom of her hometown bar might be just what she needs.
As a rescue swimmer for the United States Coast Guard, Alex Petrov doesn’t think twice about jumping from a helicopter into raging seas if lives are at stake, but off the clock, he prefers calmer waters.
Hooking up with a stranger, who turns out to be his roommate’s sister, just isn’t something he does. Until Becca.
But passion doesn’t worry about bad timing, and love can prove a more uncontrollable force than any ocean wave.
Dear Ms. Court,
It was the excerpt that you sent us for this book that made me want to read it. Mainly because when Becca enters the hometown bar she used to work in, I immediately knew she has working class roots and a no nonsense attitude. Dukes and billionaires are fine in measured doses but I enjoy seeing Everywoman and Everyman getting a shot at love too.
When I saw how long the book is, or rather how short it is, I wondered about how much depth we’d be talking about here. Hit the high points? Delve a bit deeper? Really cover all the bases? Well let’s just say that – speaking in terms of Red Sox baseball – that it was at least a 3 base hit.
It’s sweet, funny, and also poignant with two flawed but basically likeable main characters backed by lots of secondary characters who became individuals and not just cardboard movie theater cutouts. Alex and Becca fall in love quickly and while there is instant physical attraction, I felt that they fell far beyond that. As Becca thinks in wonder, Alex has seen all her flaws and he still wants to be with her. She doesn’t have to be perfect like her engaged friend was trying to be. She can relax, deal with her quirks and know that Alex has her back.
Alex is a touch more perfect but still not a Marty Stu. Maybe he leaves wet towels lying around or something. But given the neatness of his room probably not. Anyway, he’s an average Joe, hardworker, caring, and not afraid to let Becca know how he feels. Okay I’m trying to remember a real character flaw and coming up blank right now but he doens’t come off as too wonderful the way some book characters do.
Speaking of the secondary characters, I hope that you have some concrete plans for them. Obvious sequel bait usually annoys me but these people are baked into this plot instead of being useless radish garnish. I want to see them happy and that says a lot to me.
One thing I liked is that Becca isn’t forced into pratfalls just for laughs at her expense. She can do some groaners like show up downstairs in the morning in a T-shirt and no shorts in front of Alex but she has enough chutzpah not to care and then brazen it out. And the book is sexy without constantly harping on sex. Plus Alex was a lit grad student so he can woo with words, ace the girl by offering to loan her books and can talk. And he’s hot. The guy talk sounds a lot more realistic than in many books I’ve read and the pre-wedding wild barbeque party is an event to remember.
Rescuing Love is fast and fun but with surprising depth. And it’s taught me that you never mess with Massachusetts women. B
~Jayne
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This sounds like fun. Off to check it out. The cover would have put me off but the review made it sound much better.
Loved the book, very entertaining! Becca, an attorney, was fired right before she was returning to her hometown for a friend’s wedding. Within hours of arriving back in town, she is making out with a handsome stranger, only to be caught by her best friend. The handsome stranger turns out to be Alex, her brother’s roommate… which is where she is staying for the next week. Becca & Alex end up hooking up. She needs to feel in control, he likes to help women. She likes to keep people at arms length, he wants to try having a relationship. What she is known best for is running… It’s a week filled with secrets, family, friends, lust, drama, deception, jealousy, enlightenment and change! My blog: new games
@Kaetrin: I’ve certainly seen worse covers but this one definitely is generically blah. Being able to read the excerpt from the first chapter made a big difference in helping me want to read it.
Based on Jayne’s review, I got it, read it, and really enjoyed it. Even with the review, I was pleasantly surprised at the tight writing, and after visiting the author’s website I’m looking forward to the sequel.
@Kay: I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And I was hoping that she’d pair off the two mentioned as the h/h of her next book.