Writer's Wrap Up and Review

This is kind of a writer's wrap and and book review rolled into one. Mostly because I had to stop and think about a few technique issues as I read this book. This is Harlequin Romance story that was released in Feb 06 here in Australia. I know - I've sat on it all that time, but in my defense I went off reading a lot of contemporary short romances there for a while.

A Bride Worth Waiting For by Caroline Anderson

I think each Harlequin Romance author brings something a little different to the line. One of the things I enjoy about Caroline Anderson's books is the particular flavour of the wry bits of humour she litters in here and there. In this one, there's a line by a secondary character. They're discussing the heroine trying out new soup recipes for her small restaurant and she is throwing out ideas to her close friends.

'What about carrot and orange?' Annie suggested.

'In stick-in-the-mud old Suffolk? They'll hate it, too weird,' Jackie said, instantly damning the entire county.

That just made me grin but what's so great about it is that the humour flowed absolutely seamlessly out of the characterisation. That's point one to think about.

Michael was a great wounded hero and it was nice to read a book where the hero is madly in love with the heroine from the start of the story. That gave it a different texture as well - point two that got me thinking.

If you're an aspiring writer, this is also a really good book to look at for the way the cast of secondary characters is handled. There were quite a few of them, and they all played pivotal roles in the hero and heroine's emotional story arc. This particular aspect of the story was very tight and very well done. The heroine's friends are her support network. The woman who lives in the apartment near hers was 'planted' there by the hero to help watch over the heroine and was linked to the hero through a man he worked with and lost in the line of duty. The more intertwined it became, the more the emotional stakes went up. And that's the third point to think about - using your cast of characters to the full advantage to up the stakes in your story.

Jennie