Early Book Review: Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe

Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe is a romance novel set to be released on August 8 2011. This romance has more substance than most that I have recently read, and I greatly enjoyed the emotional depth that is often lacking in other books about love and family. I really appreciated that Lowe gave her characters, even the secondary characters, complexity and real life emotions while still making use of humor.

Our Boomerang Bride is Matilda Geoffrey, who is wearing a wedding dress alone on Main Street in small-town Wisconsin. She is looking a little worse for wear and holding a very heavy wedding cake. Matter only became worse when a Nordic stranger offers his assistance and she quickly becomes the talk of the town, and discovers that her plans have gone seriously wrong. She had risked everything for love, just like her late grandmother. However, unlike her mother and grandmother it did not look like she was going to have a grand love story to tell. She had left Australia to be with Barry, who swept her off her virtual feet and took away more than a dream. That stranger is Marc Olsen, who had fled the small town as soon as he could and only returns for a yearly visit for Thanksgiving. He had never seen any bride like Matilda, staring into a storefront window, even in New York City. While he normally tries not to get emotionally involved with anyone, something about Matilda and her situation draws him in. neither of them fits the image of love that the other has in mind, but when circumstances, and Marc's attempts to help, keep throwing them together they might find something worth risking their hearts for.

I really liked Boomerang Bride. The characters were well developed and there were no significant questions left at the end of the story. I thought that Matilda was a great character; she has had an interesting life and is not afraid to speak her mind. She is smart, spunky and still vulnerable. While having been scammed, she is not stupid or gullible. Instead, her caring nature led her astray while she was especially vulnerable. Which makes her situation so much more believable and sympathetic? The story could have been drawn out, creating at least one sequel; however Lowe saved her readers from that frustration. Now, that does not mean that this is several books crammed in together, which is a completely different problem. The secondary love story is essential in pushing Matilda and Marc to certain revelations and actions. The convalescence of Marc's sister Lori and the resulting story is extremely well done, and adds further depth to what has shaped Marc's personality and helping him to understand his own faults. His desire to maintain a relationship with his teenage nephew, while still trying to stay separate, is heart wrenching to read. However, like with Matilda's struggles the situation is realistic. I also loved the feel of Boomerang Bride, with the combination of small town life and technology. It really felt timeless, as if I might drive down a road in Wisconsin and find this place and these people tomorrow, or ten years from now.

I recommend Boomerang Bride to fans of romance novels with soul, those that do more than the basic boy meets girl, conflicts keep them apart and them problems are resolved. There is nothing wrong with those novels, I go through them like candy, but sometimes you need something more. Reading this kind of romance is like eating a rich piece of cake rather than your favorite candy bar. They both have their place. The characters and the town itself are well written and come alive. The story is complete, rich and satisfying. Although, now I am thinking about that cake. Take the time and read the Boomerang Bride, it will not disappoint fans of well-written romance.