Review: "Savor the Moment" by Nora Roberts

Laurel McBane and her three best friends, Parker, Emma, and Mac, run a successful wedding planning business called "Vows". Parker runs the business end of things, Mac does the photography, Emma is in charge of flowers, and Laurel bakes the cakes. It's the height of wedding season when Laurel has a run-in with Del, Parker's brother, whom she has been secretly in love with for years. Suddenly Del sees her as more than one of "his girls", and the dynamic between them changes. Savor the Moment follows the development of the romance between Laurel and Del.

I haven't picked up a Nora Robert's book in ages, despite the fact that she's written numerous #1 Bestsellers. This one, the third in a series of four, caught my attention because I love weddings. Really, who doesn't love weddings? Since my own wedding almost two years ago, I've known what is involved in pulling one off, and I know firsthand what a wonderful day it can be. I couldn't help but be disappointed with this book, though. It fell flat for me, and frankly, I found myself bored while reading it. There was nothing wrong with the writing at all, but the romance between Del and Laurel lacked passion in my opinion. They've known each other forever, and sparks haven't flown, and then suddenly something changes and they're all over eachother. Their connection seemed merely physical to me, as the two spend a lot of time jumping in and out of bed. Now, I'm not one of those people who dislikes books with sex in them, but it is all that they seemed to do, and it got boring. I kept waiting for them to make some emotional connection, to show some evidence of passion beyond the physical kind, but didn't find any.

The few conflicts in Savor the Moment didn't do anything for me either. They were all easily resolved, and since I was hoping for a bridezilla story or two, the lack of them was disappointing as well. Perfection is okay, but it doesn't make for a very interesting story. I haven't read the previous two books in the series, but you don't need to read them in order to understand the third. Anything that has happened in the previous two books is explained well enough in this one that you get the gist of what happened in them.

If you're looking for a light beach read, this book may appeal to you, but if you're looking for something with a little more plot and substance, I suggest skipping this one altogether. I'm certain that I'm in the minority here, as many people love Nora Roberts and this series in particular, but I couldn't wait for the book to be over.

Thank-you to Penguin Canada for this review copy. If you would like me to link to your review of this book (good or bad!), please leave your link in the comments.

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Those who have enjoyed the previous books in this series
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge