Reviewed by 
  Shannah Biondine

Reviewer Rating:  *****
Title: Category Duets - Mr. Lucky/For Better or For Worse
Category:  Romantic Comedy
Author: Ashley Jamieson
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
ISBN:  1-58608-056-3
Release Date:  November 1999

If you've got the winter doldrums and need something to lift your spirits, this pair of romantic comedies will do the trick!

Ashley Jamieson has crafted two separate stories with quirky, fun characters, fast pacing, and plenty of good-natured laughs.

In "Mr. Lucky," Kevin "Lucky" Luck finds he's been hired to replace head writer Caitlin Paris on an animated TV series. Only the producer doesn't want Caitlin to know she'll be let go when her contract expires in a few weeks, so Lucky has to pretend he's the new co-head writer--Caitlin's equal partner. This misunderstanding is compounded by gambling debts and loan sharks and plenty of amusing confusion on both sides.

For Better of For Worse features Megan Winters, who applies for a research grant from Dash Masters' foundation. Only to be turned down. Megan decides to confront the lion in his den, and gains access to his private office by lying to the secretary that she's Dash's new bride.

The secretary phones a local radio show doing a promotion on the "25 Most Romantic Newlyweds," and suddenly a camera crew appears to videotape the newlywed lovebirds.

Plotlines that feature a compounding "comedy of errors" approach always work for me. The humor in both stories got a bit slapstick at times, but for the most part I was thoroughly engrossed. Both segments had me chuckling out loud several times and reaching the happy endings with a nice grin that lingered after the story was done. Which is exactly what readers of romantic comedy are looking for.

Ms. Jamieson delivers a double punch of fun and laughter. I highly recommend this duet and look forward to reading more by this talented author.

Copyright © 2001 by  Shannah Biondine