Tina Devino makes more money teaching people to write than writing herself. A middling romance novelist who dreams of penning a bestseller, she’s increasingly forced to compete with younger, blonder debut authors for her publisher and agent’s attention.
Feeling forgotten, Tina realises the only way up is to take her career and destiny in hand and build her own happy ending; which is perfect because, for a romance writer, Tina isn’t the most traditional of women… Although she does see her long term partner lover friend, Sergei, once a week which is ‘quite enough, thank you very much’. But her uncomplicated love life might soon need some unravelling when a mysterious Tube Man, unwelcome ex-husband and a shadowy figure in a butterfly mask waltz into the picture.
Only Tina can work through the drama and claim the life she’s always wanted… but will she succeed?
Review: This book was previously published under the title Happy Endings, and was one of Trisha Ashley’s earliest romantic comedies. Trisha informs us that she hasn’t rewritten it, simply polished it up a little, remembering the developments in technology that have occurred in the intervening decade since it was first published. I did not read the story in its original form, having ‘found’ this author more recently. I would have to say that I prefer the more recent novels, but I did find this story highly amusing and entertaining.
The story concerns romance writer Tina Devino. A published author for many years, she now finds her work as a literary consultant more lucrative. This is mainly due to both her publisher and, to an extent, her agent considering her a midlist author and not devoting the required amount of effort to publicising her work. Luckily she has best friend Linny to encourage her. Eventually, through a combination of taking matters into her own hands and publicity gained through her association with long-term boyfriend Russian ballet dancer Sergei, things begin to change. A bit of mystery also creeps into Tina’s life in the shape of a handsome man she keeps encountering while travelling on the underground; who can he be?
This is one book that had me laughing out loud. The story is interspersed with letters written to and from Tina in her role as literary consultant; many of the concepts proposed by her would-be authors are most amusing or even bizarre. The situations she finds herself in at literary events also add to the overall hilarity of the book. Although not a favourite of mine, I think this is a funny and interesting story that will be enjoyed by many readers.
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