(52)The Idea of Love by Patti Callahan Henry

Monday, June 29, 2015


When Ella found out that her husband was having an affair she was completely shattered.  Even though some time has passed she still feels the loss to her core.   When she meets the handsome Blake in a local restaurant she feels the need to pretend the pain she feels isn't because her husband left her, but because he died.  What Blake hasn't told her is that his name is really Hunter, a famous screenwriter from Hollywood whose entire career rests on the success of his next movie.  He hears the story of Ella's "dearly departed husband" and thinks he has found the key to his next blockbuster.  They both have lied to each other, but one thing remains true, their undeniable attraction to each other.  What will happen when they both discover the lies?  Will they be able to get past the deception?

Anybody who has had their heart broken is going to be able to understand why Ella lied to the handsome stranger.  She never thought she would see Blake again and telling someone your husband left you for your best friend's sister would be a bit humbling for anybody.  Normally I have a zero tolerance for that kind of deception in my real life or in my fiction, but the pain Ella displays makes it understandable.  Blake/Hunter on the other hand seemed like a stereotypical Hollywood sleazeball from the word go. I get the ex-wife and daughter thing, but sleeping with your assistant is so stinking cliche it just made him seem like a fake character. He never came across as genuine whereas Ella did.  I never really did warm up to him and I am not entirely sure why Ella fell so hard for him.  In the end The Idea of Love ended in a predictable way, not good or bad, just predictable.

Bottom line - I am not going to lie, I was a little disappointed.  I was hoping to be swept away and find myself rooting for the "happy ever after" - but I really wasn't sure which way was the "happy ever after" I wanted.

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