What she read: the Paper Marriage

Okay, I admit one of my deep, dark secrets. I read romance novels. Sure, some of them (okay, pretty much all of them) are predictable. Boy meets girl, boy hates girl, sparks fly anyway, they have hot sex and live happily ever after. Still, sometimes, don't you just want a book that leaves you feeling good? So I am subscribed to the library's NextReads romance readers' advisory online service. That gives me book suggestions beyond my favorites, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jennifer Crusie. That's how I discovered Susan Kay Law's The Paper Marriage (Berkley Books, 2008). Not only is the book well-written, but the device separating the would-be lovers has an ethical resonance usually lacking in category romance novels. (Hey, I still read 'em...!) More common in novels, this one also explores the love between parent and child, and does so without preaching. And it made me laugh. And it was set in Anytown USA. And it has sex, although not hit-you-over-the-head with it. It has the standard burned out famous rich professional athlete. So there's also fantasy there! I recommend it highly.