Monday, June 1, 2009

Book Review: Nights in Black Lace by Noelle Mack

Book Information
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Publication Date: October 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0758221902
MSRP: $12.95
Format: Trade Paperback
Available from
Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Powell's


Odette Gaillard, CEO and founder of Oh! Oh! Odette lingerie, is looking for some excitement in her life. At her annual runway show, she finds herself oddly distracted by the young American obviously out of place in the front row. Bryan Bachman is a freewheeling athlete who is backpacking through Europe while waiting to hear back from graduate schools. Bryan spends his last euro on a charity raffle and ends up with front row seats at the sexiest fashion show of the year. But if Odette has her way, Bryan will end up with a few more prizes by the end of the night.

Nights in Black Lace was a disappointment. The story line had a lot of potential, but was squandered by focusing on the wrong aspects. As a backdrop to the story, Odette's new designs get stolen. However, the issue is never really resolved. While a suspect is identified, the subplot is simply dropped in the next to last chapter of the book. It is disappointing because the thefts are the reason Bryan chooses to remain in Paris despite having no money, no place to stay, etc. For such a key aspect of the story to be left unresolved is simply disappointing.

Another disappointment was the flatness of the entire cast. Bryan is portrayed as a very weak character throughout the story. He has no job, no prospects, no money and doesn't really save the heroine of the story from any disaster physical or emotional. He comes across as really being a kept man, which is not sexy at all. But seriously, if Odette can and does do everything on her own, what is the point of having a man around?

Other characters in the story come and go at the drop of the hat. Leaving you wondering why the author chose to introduce them at all. One of Odette's models, we come to find, is transgendered and strips at a nightclub that Bryan happens to end up at one night. That is interesting, but since the model is neither seen nor heard of after that single mention, it leaves the reader wondering why she was mentioned in the first place.

For sexy reads and contemporary romance, you are much better off checking out Carly Phillips, MJ Rose or Shayla Black.

xoxo,
Tissie

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