Long and Short Reviews

Desperately Seeking Susie
The Wild Rose Press
Contemporary Romance, Paranormal
Full length, Spicy
Review by Chamomile

Susie takes her Top Shelf margaritas on the rocks, no salt, and spends Friday nights at the Candy Bar, the hottest spot in South Beach. She wears a perfect size 2, and blows her money on Jimmy Choo shoes. But appearances can be deceiving. She can never meet her father's impossible expectations and has given up trying. Susie was disfigured at birth and her father, a renowned plastic surgeon, started her life under the knife. The flaws that remain are carried deep. She's a champion for the underdog and volunteers at a homeless shelter. But as a college drop-out, she can't keep a job or a man in her life, and even the art she loves lacks that special spark. One night at the Candy Bar during a tropical storm, she feels something as light as a champagne fizz brush over her. She has been touched by magic and is able to see the world differently. Literally. Her grey world is suddenly filled with bright, vibrant color. She is about to begin an adventure of a lifetime, a six week sojourn in Florence to study painting, when a problem prevents her from leaving. Brett--a hot firefighter who she has known and loved for years, has fallen in love with her too. An explosion nearly costs Brett his life and leaves him scarred. He pushes her away, not wanting to be one of her "pity projects." At first she refuses, unwilling to leave anyone in need, little alone the man she loves.

But with the gift of sight came the ability to see the future. Is it possible she can have both--her dream of Italy and the man she loves, or will she always be desperately seeking Susie?

♥ ♥ ♥

If you can get past the title's similarity to an old Madonna movie, it really is appropriate because the person desperately seeking Susie is Susie herself.

Susie is one of my favorite types of characters because she transforms from an insecure girl to an enlightened woman through the course of the story. She is initially obsessed with her appearance which could have been annoying to watch, but because of events in her past, I found her behavior to be understandable. She is very loyal and I loved the relationships she has with her friends. The paranormal aspect of her gave her a little twist that spiced things up just right. I liked how the various quirks of Susie's personality have reasons for being, rather than just being thrown in for humor or to make some other facet of the story work. It made her believable and it was easy for me to empathize with her. I do think that she is a bit too trusting and in one particular case, I had to shake my head in disbelief at the decisions she makes surrounding it. It does come out okay in the end, and I eventually did feel that she is somewhat justified in the choices she makes.

Brett is a hunky fireman that Susie has had a crush on since high school. I enjoyed his flirtation with Susie in the beginning and I liked that he doesn't step over the line because he is dating someone else at the time. I think that he really helps Susie because he supports her and believes in her even if he doesn't agree with some of the things she does, and this is exactly what she needs.

This book has more of a women's fiction feel to me than a romance. The love story between Brett and Susie is very sweet and I do like how they eventually get together, especially the fact that Brett's personal struggles help Susie to deal with some of her own issues, and vice versa. But the story is focused more on Susie figuring out who she is rather than the two of them finding one another. I found her journey to self-awareness, self-confidence and inner strength realized to be poignant and gratifying.