Suddeny You by Sarah Mayberry

I've enjoyed several books by Sarah Mayberry, although I sometimes think she's constrained by the Harlequin requirements for certain series lines.  I'm happy to see her writing something a bit different.

Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry
(2012, Contemporary Series)  11/4/12
Grade: 4

When Pippa was dating his best mate, Harry had always liked Pippa, but he’d never thought of her as more than a friend.  But when he stops to help her when her car breaks down, he suddenly sees Pippa in a new light.  Harry usually doesn’t take things to seriously, but Pippa needs someone in her life that’s reliable - she’s a single mother raising her daughter alone.  But maybe Harry is ready to change his life...

I always like reading Sarah Mayberry’s books because they feel so refreshingly modern.  Unlike a lot of series books, this one seems to take place in the real world, where cars break down and babies cry.  The Australian setting is also a fun change.  I think Mayberry does her best writing when she’s not constrained by the “hot hot hot” requirements of Harlequin Blaze - the love scenes here are certainly steamy but they are more about Harry and Pippa and less about generic hotness.  My only issue with this book is that I generally don’t care for books about babies - I appreciated that Alice was a real baby but it’s just not my favorite thing to read about.  But overall, this was a very good read - I’m always so happy to find a good series book, and Mayberry is one of the best authors at the moment.

I really love this cover!  It stands out from the typical series cover - I think Harlequin was smart to de-emphasize the Super Romance logo on the covers.  This is the line that's most likely to appeal to non-series readers, so it makes sense to make the covers more like single titles.