BOOK REVIEW ~ UNDONE BY SHANNON RICHARD

Title: Undone
Author: Shannon Richard
Publisher: Forever Yours
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
eBook, 368 pages

ARC provided by NetGalley

Book Blurb


Things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida:

Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot
Why a shop would ever sell something called "buck urine"
Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King

After losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn't easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who's interested in much more than Paige's car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn't sure she'd ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone?

Book Review

Undone is a contemporary love story that has humor, a sexy mechanic, sarcasm, and romance.

Paige comes to Mirabelle, Florida, where her parents have retired, with a black cloud of doom following her. She has lost almost everything--job, boyfriend, and a place to live--but has a feisty attitude.  When her car breaks down (black cloud of DOOM), she is rescued by the charming Brendan King. Despite his wicked smile, Paige meets him tit for tat, and the sparks fly.

The small town of Mirabelle hasn't been kind to Paige as she is turned away from job interview to job interview. The small mindedness of the town cause tension between Paige and some of the locals. Just when everything seems to be crashing around her, Brendan lends a hand and finds her a job.

Brendan likes the fact that Paige is different. Her uniqueness intrigues him. And when the two start hanging out, there is an obvious sexual tension between them.

Mirabelle is filled with some quirky (albeit cliched) characters: Sometimes the humor had me laughing out loud, sometimes...not so much. The slow pacing of the story hindered my enjoyment of the story. I love small town stories. They can be charming and nostalgic for me. But I felt that sometimes Richard relied on stereotypes instead of layering her characters with some individuality.  And I may be wayyyy off base here with what I say next, so take it as that constructive criticism that it is: I think that if Shannon Richard concentrates on making the next book (Undeniable) it's "own" story and not try to reproduce something similar to the plethora of new adult books floating out there, she may have a shot of penning a really great series.

Despite the issues I had with Undone, it wasn't all bad. It had moments that were funny, charming, and made a great read. There is definite potential for this series. As it is, this first book just didn't hold my attention as I'd hoped.