Reviewer: Connie Payne
Title: Feet First
Author: Leanne Banks
Publisher: HQN
E-ISBN: 0-373-77018-9
Release Date: September 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Contemproary Romance
Year/Setting: Present Day - Atlanta
Overall rating: 5
Sexual content rating: Sensual
Leanne's Website:
www.leannebanks.com
Tenderhearted Jenny Prillaman has a newly realized dream. To get credit for the shoes her "doodles" have produced. Her long time dream is to "get with" VP of Bellagio Shoes, Marc Waterson. Both dreams may become a reality sooner than she'd ever expected, though one may be more difficult to attain than the other. But with a little work and a little ingenuity...who knows?
Marc Waterson, planner and list-maker extraordinaire thinks it's time to find a wife. And of course as he's a planner he's got a plan of action all laid out. Everything should go according to plan, right? Well, not exactly. Especially when he's thrown together with Gina, or is it Ginger, or wait, is it Jill? No, Jenny, that's it. Yeah, especially when he's thrown together with Jenny at his cousin's, Brooke, get-togethers and reality wedding planning show featuring Bellagio Shoes being designed exclusively for the bride-to-be (by Jenny). She absolutely throws him off kilter.
Each think they only need to get each other out of their systems and then get on with their lives and goals. Right. Simple as that. Uh-huh.
Not.
The fact that Marc is so...so uptight with his planning, for one thing, kind of indicates to Jenny that there can never be anything permanent between them, but oh, does she want to "get with him" if only to get him out of her system and have a memory to see her through when she's eighty.
The fact that Jenny is so...so spontaneous, to name one thing, shows him that she would only make a mess out of his well ordered life. But the thing is, he can't get her out of his mind.
What are they to do?
Well, you can either guess, or you can read the book and find out cause I'm sure not going to ruin it for you.
But I will tell you this much. I loved the characters. The way Leanne honed them made them seem so real. You could feel their hurt, feel their confusion, share in their joys and triumphs.
Jenny is someone I would want as a friend. She was real and down to earth. Marc was fun to follow as Jenny took some of the stuffing out of his stuffed shirt here and there without him really being aware of it. The secondary characters were fun and fit well in the story.
It was enjoyable to see two polar opposites come together and learn from each other; to see Jenny finally, but quietly realize she's worthy of more in both her personal and professional life; to see Marc realize his life could have the organization it needed even if it was going to often be in the form of well organized chaos.
I would have liked an epilogue, but as there's another story set in the world of Bellagio Shoes next year, maybe we'll get a glimpse of Marc and Jenny from time to time.
I literally read this in a matter of hours. I couldn't put it down, but simply drank in the ambiance of the story, the emotions, and the romance.
I have a high criteria that needs to be met when I read a contemporary romance as they aren't my first choice of reading material. Leanne met and exceeded my expectations with Feet First. The dialogue was witty and sharp staying true to the characters. There was no unwanted filler or excessive descriptions as the story and characters told it all. To sum it up, a warm, wonderful, truly well crafted story.
Oh-a little FYI. It'll be a long time before I eat another York Peppermint Patty without thinking of Jenny and Feet First.
Connie
Question or comment regarding the review or the book? Click here and let Connie know.
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