Tuesday, August 12, 2014

BENTLEY SQUARE by Carol Ann Kauffman


Book Description:
Strangers meet on the train. She, a beautiful, wealthy businesswoman. He, a down on his luck office manager. They have nothing in common. And yet, they are drawn to each other with an undeniable hypnotic magnetism. This is the story of Rebecca Robbins, daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the country and Mark Ramsay, a man shrouded in dark mystery and hiding in the shadows from death squads amid international intrigue.


Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, realistic, and touching May 8
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I think this was a great choice of book. It has real romance, not erotic romance novel type, and mystery and intrigue. It was well written and enjoyable. I passed time easily enjoying this book, and appreciating the fresh voice of an author who isn't drawn to sex filled romance, and overly hyped hunky heroes. This book has the elements of a good story, and something that sticks with you even after you close the book! Great choice! :)


Excerpt:
“Rebecca Lynn Robbins,” Carlton never used her full name unless he was extremely upset with her, “your behavior last night was, was…”
“Embarrassing to you, Dad?  Deplorable?  Bratty?  How about mind blowingly inconsiderate?  I know.  I know!  I’m sorry.  Really I am.   But I’m really tired of these dinner ambushes.  I come home exhausted from working twelve-hour days, five, sometimes six days a week, only to find some guy ready to pounce on me.  I’m extremely tired.  And worst of all, these guys don’t want to get to know ME.  They want to get to YOU through me.  They want some kind of business merger.  And, Dad, did you listen to the conversation last night?  It was inane, condescending, at best.  I felt like Bachelorette Number Two, who likes walks in the countryside and furry little animals.  AND furthermore!  I like to pick my own boyfriends.  I know exactly what, or who, I’m looking for.” 
“Honey, honestly, the ones you pick never last a month!  I’m only trying to help you out here.  I’m trying to pre-screen them for you.  Remember that carpenter from Girard?”
“Yes, I remember him very well, Allan.  Nice man.  He was a terrific woodworker.  And he made really cool chairs.”
“They were primitive, Becca.  And splintery.”
“They were works of art, Dad!  You really weren’t supposed to sit on them!”
“And he lasted three weeks.  How about the heavy equipment operator from county?  The skinny guy?”
“Clark.  He was a nice man.  He really understood how local politics work in Northeast Ohio.”
“Dull, dull.  He was dull.  Snooze.  He bored me into a coma.  No sense of humor.  And politics in Northeast Ohio is hardly rocket science.  It has to do with unmarked white envelopes full of green stuff.  How HE almost made it two weeks was beyond me!  Then there was the Oriental guy, Tsing?  Almost a month, that one.  Is he your long-term champ so far?”
“No, Daddy, Tsing was the gypsy.  I really liked Tsing, he was nice, he was fun to be with, but he had issues.  The Japanese electronics engineer, that was Henry, and he was very smart.  He was a good man.  And he was nice.  HE’S the one who almost made it a month.  He was, just very, very… small.  Unfulfilling on a personal level.”
“Was Warren Colby really all that bad?  He has a sense of humor.  He’s a big guy.  He’s handsome and athletic.  Nice family.  You two looked great together!  Just wonderful.  He isn’t a gypsy.  He has a job and a trust fund.  He certainly isn’t boring.”
“Dad!  Warren Colby is a horrible human being, and I’m using the term human being loosely when it comes to him.  He was mean to the waiter at the Bostonian.  He treats my secretary like she’s dirt.  He doesn’t LIKE anything.  He’s super critical of everyone.  I tried.  I thought maybe the massive superiority complex might have been masking a kinder, sweeter, gentler, more vulnerable soul underneath.  But, no, he really does think he’s fabulous and everybody else in the world stinks.”
“He liked you, Becca.  I like him.”
“No. Daddy, you like his father.  I like his father.  Denny is a good man.  His offspring is… well, overcooked in his own juices.”  Carlton listened to her and sighed.
“Okay, what about the kid with the ponytail who worked at the Health Food Store, what was his name?”
“Reggie.  Tell the truth, Dad.  You only liked Reggie because he kept you supplied with anti-aging vitamins.”
“Oh, yes, I liked Reggie just fine, for a whole boatload of reasons.  One, he was normal.  Two, he was a willing worker and he knew how to hold down a job.  Three, he wasn’t all tattooed and pierced up.  Four, he was an avid reader and a quick learner and he liked to help people.  And five he was pleasant and easy to talk to.  I could have lived with Reggie, if he were your choice.  Why did you dump HIM?”
“He turned vegan on me.  I’ll say no more.”
“How about the professional hockey player from Youngstown?”
“Oh, God, him!” she giggled.  “I can’t even remember his name, um, um, um, Rodrigo; he had no front teeth.  After a while, that started to bother me.  I offered to buy him new front teeth.  He said no thank you; they’d only get knocked out again.”  She thought for a moment.  “Okay, I get your point, Dad,” she sighed.
“You become disappointed with them, Becca.  Disillusioned.  You find out they’re …only human.  There are no men out there that can meet your standards. They’re all wimpy little boys nowadays, afraid of hard work, responsibility, and their own shadows.  They’ve all been over-coddled by their mommies.  They all feel entitled.  I know what you’re looking for, Becca, and that strong, tough, courageous breed of man who built this country and made it strong, men with strength, character, and integrity, they died out a long time ago.  If you push one of these guys down onto the ground, they stay there, whining and flapping their arms, waiting for the government to help them up.”
“No, Dad, my ideal man is out there somewhere.  And he’s not a whiner, or a flapper, he doesn’t whimper, and he’s not waiting for government assistance.  I feel it.  I know it.  I’m getting close.  I can hear him.  He calls to me.  And I’m not ready to settle for anything less than him yet.”

“Well, the next time he calls to you, you tell him to get his ass over here while I’m still alive and strong enough to bounce a grandchild on my knee, okay?”



No comments:

Post a Comment