Waiting For Lila by Billie Green

In some ways, I think series books were more daring in the 80's than they are now. Of course, finding a great series read is always like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it seemed like series books in the 80's were more willing to explore controversial topics and emotional nuances that are left out in so many of today's "baby and cowboy" reads. (Not that there aren't some good ones today, but especially if you don't like kids in your books, it's hard to find them.) Alas, this one had potential but didn't quite add up.

Waiting For Lila by Billie Green
(1989, Contemporary Series) 4/19/08
Grade: 2.5

In Acapolco for a conference, Bill is enchanted by Delilah (and her odd group of friends) even before he gets off the plane. He persues her, and at first Lila goes along, and pretends she’s as carefree as she seems on the outside. But would he still love her if he knew where she came from, and can Lila put the past behind her and leave herself vulnerable to love?

I suspect this book seemed more “daring” when it came out in 1989 than it does now. The hints that were dropped about Lila’s past in the first few chapters were more annoying than intriguing, but I liked Delilah and her interactions with her friends - they came alive and you got to understand Delilah through them. But Lila’s “big secret” doesn’t seem quite so earthshattering as it might have been at the time, and the scenes in the “perfect” Mexican village just seemed trite and cutesy. There was potential here for a meatier read - it’s refreshing to read about a heroine who is bluntly looking for a rich husband, and isn’t depicted as a total bitch for wanting that. I also appreciated that Bill didn’t care about her past. But there just wasn’t enough room in this book to explain her change of heart. Overall, a flawed read that had some good points - if it had been longer and a little more in depth, it might have been very good.

This was originally a Loveswept, but I have the reprint, so I'm not sure of the original series number. It was reprinted when Loveswept started reprinting a bunch of their classic titles in the mid-90's.