A Romantic Getaway

Author: Sarah Monk

This is part of the stash of 'light-reading during confinement' that I borrowed from my colleague. It is one of the titles in the Little Black Dress series, and is actually the third that i've read. But so far this is the only memorable one and worth blogging about.

The story is about two sisters, Liesel and Marilyn. Liesel is a 'serial monogamist', as she gets dumped all the time by men who cannot seem to understand that this gorgeous, attractive woman is actually keen on a long-term commitment. The elder sister, Marilyn, was left by her husband for his older and more glamorous lady boss. Together with Marilyn's son, Alex, the three live in a poky flat in London until one day Alex inherits an old hotel in Cornwall from his father's aunt. The three then move to Cornwall, where they have to run the hotel for at least a season, otherwise the ownership gets transferred to Godrich van Woofenhausen - a dog.

Despite the strange inheritance, the tale is actually quite sweet. Unlike most chick-lit books I've read, Liesel is not an idiotic girl with her head in the clouds. And the love interest - a vet who gets called in when Godrich literally finds himself stuck in a tight place - is not the typical arrogant, slick charmer despite his astonishing good looks. In fact the couple are just regularly nice people.

Most of the story centers around family and friendship, and the romance seems to be a secondary thread to the main plot. It got to a point where I didn't really mind if Liesel and the vet didn't get together in the end.

I did find the vet's character a bit flat, though.I felt more for the other characters - Eric the cook, Kashia the Polish waitress, Lorraine the housekeeper and my heart really went out to Alex who refused to wear anything but Superman costumes. And the old hotel and its surroundings are pretty impressive too.

All in all, a nice good read if you don't want something too heavy but can't be bothered with carbon copies of Becky Bloomwood.

One dialogue I find memorable, is when the vet appears for the first time, and an elderly couple who were hotel guests met him:

Wife: "Could you please have a look at my chest?"

Husband: "He's a vet, my dear, not a doctor."

Wife: "I know that, but I'd still like him to have a look at my chest."