Review: Screwdrivered – Alice Clayton

Readers back for a third round of the bestselling Cocktail series will enjoy a madcap romantic comedy about bodice ripping and chest heaving, fiery passion and love everlasting. Plus a dash of paperwork filing and horseshi—wait, what?

By day, Viv Franklin designs software programs. By night, Vivian’s a secret romance-novel junkie who longs for a knight in shining armor, or a cowboy on a wild stallion, or a strapping firefighter to sweep her off her feet. And she gets to wear the bodice—don’t forget the bodice.

When a phone call brings news that she’s inherited a beautiful old home in Mendocino, California from a long-forgotten aunt, she moves her entire life across the country to embark on what she sees as a great, romance-novel-worthy adventure. But romance novels always have a twist, don’t they?

There’s a cowboy, one that ignites her loins. Because Cowboy Hank is totally loin-ignition worthy. But there’s also a librarian, Clark Barrow. And he calls her Vivian. Can tweed jackets and elbow patches compete with chaps and spurs? You bet your sweet cow pie.

In Screwdrivered, Alice Clayton pits Superman against Clark in a hilarious and hot battle that delights a swooning Viv/Vivian.

Also within this book, an answer to the question of the ages: Why ride a cowboy when you can ride a librarian?

Series: Cocktail #3
Release Date: September 2nd 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Karen
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

When Vivian Franklin unexpectedly inherits an ocean front Victorian house in California, she feels like a character in one of the romance novel she reads.  Vivian lives in Philadelphia and owns a successful computer software company, but she doesn’t feel fulfilled.  Once she inherits the house, Vivian suddenly has a lot of decisions to make to make and needs to do some soul searching to figure out what makes her happy.  When she travels to California to see the house, she meets Hank the hunk and Clark the nerd.  Hank is a hunky cowboy, who takes care of the animals on her aunt’s property and she is attracted to him, but he is a man of few words.  Clark, a librarian has intense chocolate brown eyes and is also head of the local historical society.  Her aunt’s house is listed on the historical register, so any changes have to be approved by Clark.  Since the house needs a lot of work, Vivian and Clark are constantly arguing about the renovations and can never agree on anything.

I like Vivian because she has the traits I admire in a heroine she’s smart, attractive and funny.  However, as smart as Vivian is, she’s slow to figure out who the right man is for her.  The reader is never sure who Vivian will end up with until the end of the story.  Vivian has a vivid imagination and she is constantly using it when she thinks about the man she is attracted to.  So there is a lot of yearning in this story, but all the steamy action is in Vivian’s head.  Simon and Caroline from WALLBANGER are included in the story and it is fun catching up with them.