Cassidy's Courtship by Sharon Mignerey

One thing I love about contemporary books is that they can deal with issues in a way that historical books can't. I find books that show real people with real problems to be very inspiring. However, I still want my romance. It must be difficult for authors to deal with "issues" in a realistic way while still including a strong romance, especially with the page limitations of a series book. I admire the authors who try, even if their books have a few flaws.

Cassidy's Courtship by Sharon Mignerey (SIM 864)
(1998, Contemporary Series) 4/26/2008
Grade: 3.5

Attorney Cole Cassidy is attracted to Brenna James from the first time they meet, even though he’s representing her opponent. Although he tries to get closer to her, Brenna has secrets she’s not willing to share with him. Even as they get closer, and Brenna begins to know him better, she’s not sure how to tell him that she never finished school, and she can’t read.

Despite the well drawn characters and the carefully developed subject line, this book lacked a certain zing. I just didn’t feel the romance between the hero and heroine, even though I liked them both as characters. However, the book had a lot of strengths, and it handled the subject matter very well. Even though Brenna’s secret didn’t come out until almost the end, it didn’t feel like it was spinning in place - Brenna was growing and developing as a person throughout the book, and it made sense that she didn’t tell Cole everything from the first. But I would have liked a little more at the end, for Cole to share more with Brenna - the book ended a little fast. And although on one hand I appreciated that Brenna’s problem wasn’t explained away easily (i.e. with a learning disability), I could have used a little more background. It’s hard to grade this book - I’m very glad I read it, but it didn’t leave me with that happy sigh I get from a great romance.

Another example of my pickiness when it comes to contemporary books...