What I Read This Weekend

What I Read This Weekend . . .

Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews -- Contemporary Romantic Fiction

Savannah restaurateur BeBe Loudermilk has a thing for bad boys. She's been married three times (twice to the same man) but has managed to become a successful businesswoman and home owner. She falls hard for the charming Reddy who is a polished ladies' man. He's charming and considerate and so passionate. When everything seems to be falling apart in BeBe's life, Reddy offers his help. In one moment, BeBe loses everything when Reddy turns out to be a slick con man. BeBe still has her restaurant but is forced to close because she can't afford to pay her employees. When she discovers that Reddy used her money to buy an old rundown motel on Tybee Island near her hometown of Savannah, she is furious. She doesn't want a run down motel. She wants her life back. The motel happens to be prime beach front real estate so BeBe decides she'll sell the land and at least get money enough to begin her life again. She doesn't count on the cantankerous caretaker, Harry and his little white dog. Harry has been living and working on the property and isn't about to leave. He loves the old motel, despite it's dilapidated state and he certainly doesn't want some shiny new condos full of city slickers going up in it's place. BeBe faces another setback and is forced to renovate the property after all. Her best friend Weezie, an antiques dealer, sees the charm of the place and soon BeBe does too. Then she learns that Reddy or whatever his name is, has been up to his old tricks in Fort Lauderdale and she is determined to catch him and do to him what he did to her. BeBe's grandfather shows up to lend his support and gets roped into the scheme, along with Harry and Weezie. BeBe plans a not-quite legal scheme to get back what she lost. She needs the full cooperation of her friends though and she and Harry can't seem to stop arguing. Will she be able to pull it off and get her old life back? The first half of this book is really slow. It picks up once BeBe and company head to Florida. Though this book got rave reviews from other library patrons, I didn't like it. I couldn't like BeBe. I don't have anything in common with BeBe and found her hard to relate to. I found it hard to believe anyone could be that naive and trusting, especially after two ex-husbands and an ex-fiance. Her plan to get her money back is not at all legal and I could not believe that her friends would go along with it. I did not like the outcome of the story either. I also didn't think there was much chemistry between BeBe and the love interest. The romance was rushed and the ending very abrupt. Some of the story is told from Weezie's point of view. I enjoyed Weezie's character more than BeBe but her narrative interrupted the flow of the story. I would recommend this one for someone who is looking for escapist reading without much substance.