A Previous Engagement [Versión Kindle]

Either because of my testicles or because I'm just that way, I avoid romances. They seem to only be possible when incredibly stupid people are the characters. The main character in A Previous Engagement (a clever title, by the way), fits the category perfectly. I thought the male paramour did as well until I was most of the way through the book. Then I realized he wasn't suffering from a series of major concussion, he was just overly sentimental and emotional for a man. Definitely not a man's man, but perhaps he fits with the modern metrosexual kind of guy that's become so popular. I prefer the 80's action movie hero kind of guy. Or The Duke.

One other thing bothered me C the book leaves the impression that it's unfavorable for a woman to have a successful career. The main character strives to do so, but she's not complete without a partner and family in her life. I find that a flawed lesson. Why should a person be required to have a family to be complete?

That's the bad, here comes the good.

The book was very well written. The main character amused me time and again (when she wasn't aggravating me by being oblivious), thanks to the author's skill with putting words together. I faintly remember one chapter starting with a sentence that was too long and made no sense, but I was able to move past it easily and find no other flaws. Coming from another writer, that's a major success.

I read the book in a matter of hours, another feather in Stephanie's hat. I abhor the genre yet she kept me reading. I wanted to reach in and strangle the characters because they seemed to be inexplicably stupid from the very beginning, but still I read on. I say 'inexplicably stupid' but that does not mean they are without precedent. Virtually any romance movie available or even some distant relatives of mine have displayed similar or near exact levels of ignorance and dumbassery. So yes, I thought they were dumb but it's a dumb that I've seen many times before in fiction and in fact.

For someone who enjoys the genre, I recommend the book highly.

I heard about this book through word of mouth - and although I had not heard of the author before, I thought I would give it a try. The opening pages hooked me and I had trouble putting the book down - hoping for the happy ending I wanted, and getting every bit of that and more! The characters and their interactions with friends and family members were true to life - more so than in some other books in this genre where best friends are always supportive or the two destined lovers are perfect for each other. These characters had flaws that made them who they were and made the story jump from the page. I am looking forward to reading more by Stephanie Hadded.

Purchased the book after hearing about it from a friend and loved it from the second I started reading it! Great beach read or perfect for someone looking for an easy read. Characters were great, definitely didn't want it to end! Would highly recommend the book, looking forward reading more from this author!