I’m always looking for good series books – but maybe I’m just too picky. It’s been a long time since I was able to read a series book without finding problems…
One Final Step by Stephanie Doyle
(2012, Contemporary Series) 10/27/12
Grade: 3.5
Michael Langdon wants to publicize his electric car, and he has hired the best publicist in the business – Madeline Kaye. Madeline once helped to elect presidents, but after a sex scandal she has spent the last seven years hiding and working behind the scenes. Michael is immediately attracted to Madeline, but she’s wary of opening herself up again – and he has a secret of his own…
I have mixed feelings about this book. I’m happy to read a book that deals with an issue that isn’t often addressed in romance, but there was something about these characters that just didn’t appeal to me, particularly in the first half of the book. Michael seemed a little too perfect, and neither Michael or Madeline really felt like real people. (There was also a subplot about characters from another book that distracted from the main story.) But my bigger problem was that the “solution” to Michael’s problem felt very “romance novel-ish”. It’s not that Michael was “cured by love” (I thought that was explained fairly well) but that he was cured instantly without any continuing issues. It just felt a little too easy. However, the book improved in the last third, and I found myself caring about the characters, particularly Madeline and her journey. The book had a good ending, which is why I gave it a slightly higher grade – I just wish the whole book had lived up to the last 50 pages.
It’s really hard to find a series book that doesn’t feature babies or suspense – sometimes I wish I wasn’t so picky!
Karen Wheless
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