REVIEW: Naked in New England by Jacquie D'Alessandro

ISBN 978-0373441228

(c) July 2001, Harlequin Duets

Jacquie D'Alessandro's website 

Rating: 5 stars

"Hilariously funny with a sweet and romantic hero. A great romance!"

Ryan Monroe is an architect who needed to refresh his creativity in order to score the biggest coup of his career, and his friend Dave offered the use of his country cabin for Ryan to recharge. Lynne Waterford, on the other hand, is an interior designer and she has been commissioned by Dave's wife and her friend to renovate the cabin as a surprise for Dave. A storm stranded them together and sparks fly between the two.

If you've been following this blog, you'd know I'm a Jacquie D'Alessandro fan. I loved her Mayhem in Mayfair series, which I've read except for Confessions at Midnight (will get round to it someday), and so, I wondered, does Jacquie D'Alessandro only do historicals well? What about contemporaries? Especially romantic comedies, where humor, as we know, is very subjective?

Guess what? I found Naked in New England to be completely hilarious! The funny, laugh-out-loud aspects are interwoven seamlessly with the characters' thoughts and behavior, making this a true comedy and not of the slapstick variety. Waldo the racoon also provided muich laughter, especially with his one precious antic toward the near end. Not only that, but the hero, Ryan Monroe, is very sweet and romantic. I just about melted, especially toward the end. The things he was willing to do just to gain her heart and to make their future possible... *sigh*

Here's one of the passages I sighed over: 

Her eyes goggled. "You bought me twenty-five pounds of Godiva chocolate? Talk about a sweet deal!" A laugh huffed from between her lips. "You realize it will take me forever to eat this. As much as I love it, I'll have to ration the calories out over the next fifty years so I don't gain a hundred pounds."

"Perfect. That's exactly what I want."

"For me to gain a hundred pounds?"

"No....I want the next fifty years." 

*melts* 

Naked in New England is part of a Harlequin Duets, but I picked up this book solely to read Jacquie D'Alessandro's story and the money's well worth it.