Review: The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

It's been awhile since I've read some Christian fiction...probably since the Inspys selection process...and truth be told I find myself reading less and less because so much of it is romance and I've grown quite tired of the genre. but every once in awhile, I like to pick one up for the comfort read and to have an idea of what's going on in the genre. Denise Hunter has written some books I've enjoyed before, so I dug into The Accidental Bride this weekend.

Shay Brandenberger is a single mom raising her daughter on a ranch in Moose Creek and struggling to pay the bills. Her husband left and then passed away and she's several months behind on the mortgage. When a friend asks her to help out in their Founder's Day celebration, she agrees to do so. The role she has to play is going through with a marriage ceremony. But it turns out the groom in the ceremony is her ex-boyfriend--who left her at the courthouse years ago on the day they planned to marry. But..someone is meddling and they use the old marriage license Shay and Travis signed years ago to make their wedding legal and real.

Sounds crazy right? And Travis does still love Shay. In fact, he came back to town to take care of his parent's ranch and in hopes of making up with her. When he realizes how much trouble she's in financially, and the fact that they are now legally married, he strikes a deal with her--he'll help her get her finances straight in exchange for a five month trial of marriage. He doesn't expect or want sex or anything, though.

Shay agrees but very reluctantly. She hates accepting charity and she lives in constant fear and worry about what others are saying about her. She grew up less privileged and doesn't really want to accept what she perceives as charity, but at the same time she really doesn't have a choice. So she agrees to the temporary arrangement...but as you can imagine Shay still has feelings for Travis so things get complicated quickly.

As a quick escapist read this works. Hunter has a nice breezy style and Moose Creek seems like a fun place. I like the way she writes romance in that I get that melty feeling in my stomach in all the right places. I believed that Travis and Shay loved each other and I could understand Shay's hurt over being left and her reluctance to trust Travis again. So if I was just...wanting to turn my brain off and enjoy a quick read, a romance without sex (and very little spiritual content as well) than The Accidental Bride worked.

But unfortunately I couldn't turn my brain off and as I was reading I started to wonder if The Accidental Bride was a good example of why I no longer enjoy romance as much. Let me explain why. This will contain somewhat detailed plot discussion so read no further if you have an aversion to spoilers!

After Travis left Shay she returned home and got married quickly. Eventually this guy left her and her daughter. But Hunter makes it clear throughout the book that Shay never loved him like she loved Travis in fact it's questionable if she even loved him at all. Her marriage and even her daughter felt like pure plot devices. Her daughter easily accepted Travis and even started calling him Dad right away which felt inauthentic to me based on their situation. At one point there's an indication that Shay's husband had called her frigid and while it's used in the book to show why Shay is so insecure with men, it's also just sad that she obviously didn't love her husband. And she bore no awareness that he probably realized that and that's why he left. I'm not excusing him leaving it was just frustrating that the book was like POOR SHAY and that the her first marriage had to be invalidated and regarded as ultimately meaningless in order not to be a threat to the romance of Travis and Shay. And see...I just don't need that. I don't need to believe there's just one person you ever really love in life. I would have preferred a story where Shay rediscovered her old love but had still had a happy marriage. In fact, I think that the reason she hadn't merely lost her husband to death but he left her first was to build a stronger case for Travis/Shay forever. So that really bugged me. And also of course, the plot was pretty convoluted. I think the premise is cute but there are a couple of points where Shay sees evidence that Travis dated before he returned home and maybe has an ongoing relationship. Instead of confronting him and talking about it though, she just gets mad and hurt. And eventually that drives him away. And yet that's never really addressed, that she should have just asked him, that she was playing an active role in damaging their relationship in the present.

The Sex Stuff

Okay so this interests me. Because Shay and Travis have a legal marriage they eventually start sleeping together. And the book says it's okay because they are married. This was FASCINATING to me, because it means that basically the book endorsed the view that a legal/government marriage is what matters in so far as when you can have sex. (sex is a big issue for evangelical Christianity lol) And I don't know, I guess I think the heart commitment is more important. They started having sex before they'd committed to each other but it wasn't a "sin" because they had a legal marriage. I mean..really? I just feel like the legal documents are not the most important part.

So....yeah. I just don't know. The faith stuff felt fairly superficial and all of the quibbles above..I just don't know if romance or Christian romance is working for me anymore or if it's just this particular book.

Rating: 2.5/5

Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction

Source of Book: Received for review

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

The bell above the diner’s door jingled and—despite her most valiant effort—Shay Brandenberger’s eyes darted toward the entry. An unfamiliar couple entered—tourists. She could tell by their khaki Eddie Bauer vests and spanking-new hiking boots. Look out, Yellowstone.

When her heart rate returned to normal, she checked her watch and took a sip of coffee. Five minutes till she met Miss Lucy at the Doll House, forty till she met John Oakley at the bank. What if he said no? What would they do then?

“Mom . . . Earth to Mom . . .” Olivia waved her hand too close to Shay’s face, her brown eyes widening.

“Sorry, hon.” The one bright moment of her Saturday was breakfast with her daughter, and she couldn’t enjoy it for the dread. “What were you saying?”

Olivia set her fork on her pancake-sticky plate and heaved a sigh worthy of her twelve-year-old self. “Never mind.” She bounced across the vinyl bench, her thick brown ponytail swinging. “I’m going to meet Maddy.”

“Right back here at noon,” Shay called, but Olivia was out the door with the flick of her hand.

The diner buzzed with idle chatter. Silverware clattered and scraped, and the savory smell of bacon and fried eggs unsettled her stomach. She took a sip of the strong brew from the fat rim of her mug.

The bell jingled again. I will not look. I will not look. I will not—

The server appeared at her booth, a new girl, and gathered Olivia’s dishes. “On the house today.”

Shay set down her mug, bristling. “Why?”

The woman shrugged. “Boss’s orders,” she said, then made off with the dirty dishes.

From the rectangular kitchen window, Mabel Franklin gave Shay a pointed look.

So Shay had helped the couple with their foal the week before. It was the neighborly thing to do.

Fine. She gave a reluctant smile and a wave. She pulled her wallet from her purse, counted out the tip, and dragged herself from the booth, remembering her daughter’s bouncy exit. Lately her thirty-two years pressed down on her body like a two-ton boulder.

She opened the diner’s door and peeked both ways before exiting the Tin Roof and turning toward the Doll House. She was only checking sidewalk traffic, not hiding. Nope, she wasn’t hiding from anyone. The boardwalks were busy on Saturdays. That was why she hadn’t come to town for two weeks. Why their pantry was emptier than a water trough at high noon.

She hurried three shops down and slipped into the cool, welcoming air of Miss Lucy’s shop.

“ ’Morning, Miss Lucy.”

“ ’Morning, dear.” The elderly woman, in the middle of helping a customer, called over her rounded shoulder, “It’s in the back.” Miss Lucy’s brown eyes were big as buckeyes behind her thick glasses, and her white curls glowed under the spotlights.

“Okeydoke.” Shay forced her feet toward the storeroom.

A musty smell assaulted her as she entered the back room and flipped on the overhead fluorescents. She scanned the boxes of doll parts and skeins of yarn until she found what she was looking for. She approached the box, lifted the lid, and parted the tissue.

The wedding gown had been carefully folded and tucked away. Shay ran her fingers over the delicate lace and pearls. Must’ve been crisp white in its day, but time had cast a long shadow over it. Time had a way of doing that.

Her fingers lingered on the thin fabric. She remembered another time, another dress. A simple white one that hung on her young shoulders, just skimmed the cement of the courthouse steps. The ache that squeezed her heart had faded with time, but it was there all the same. Would it ever go away?

Shaking her head, Shay turned back to the task at hand. The gown seemed too pretty, too fragile to disturb.

Oh well. She’d promised.

She pulled it out and draped it over the box, then shimmied from her jeans. When she was down to the bare necessities, she stepped carefully into the gown. She eased it over her narrow hips and slid her arms into the long sleeves. The neckline was modest, the gathered skirt fuller than anything she ever wore. Here in the air-conditioning it was fine, but she would swelter next Saturday.

Leaving the button-up back gaping, she hitched the skirt to the top of her cowboy boots and entered the store.

Miss Lucy was ushering the customer out the door. When she turned, she stopped, her old-lady shoes squeaking on the linoleum. “Land sakes.”

Shay took two steps forward and dropped the skirt. It fell to the floor with a whoosh.

“Fits like a glove,” Miss Lucy said. “And with some low heels it’ll be the perfect length.”

Shay didn’t even own heels. “My boots’ll have to do. Button the back?”

Miss Lucy waddled forward, turned Shay toward a small wall mirror flecked with time, and began working the tiny pearl buttons.

Shay’s breath caught at her image. She forced its release, then frowned. Wedding gowns were bad luck. She’d sworn she’d never wear another. If someone had told her yesterday she’d be wearing this thing today, she’d have said they were one straw short of a bale.

Miss Lucy moved up to the buttons between her shoulders, and Shay lifted her hair. The dress did fit, clinging to her torso like it was made for her, wouldn’t you know. Even the color complemented her olive skin.

Still, there was that whole bad luck thing.

And what would everyone think of Shay Brandenberger wearing this valuable piece of Moose Creek heritage? A white wedding gown, no less. If she didn’t have the approval of her closest friends and neighbors, what did she have? Not much, to her thinking.

She wanted to cut and run. Wanted to shimmy right out of the dress, tuck it into that box in the storeroom, slip back into her Levi’s and plaid button-up, and go back to her ranch where she could hole up for the next six months.

She checked the time and wished Miss Lucy had nimbler fingers. Of all days to do this, a Saturday, when everyone with two legs was in town. And she still had that infernal meeting with John Oakley.

Please, God, I can’t lose our home . . .

“I’m obliged to you, dear. I completely forgot Jessie was going out of town.”

“No problem.”

“Baloney. You’d rather be knee-deep in cow dung.” The woman’s marionette lines at the sides of her mouth deepened.

“It’s one hour of my life.” A pittance, after all Miss Lucy had done for her.

Miss Lucy finished buttoning, and Shay dropped her hair and smoothed the delicate lace at the cuffs.

“Well, bless you for being willing. God is smiling down on you today for your kindness.”

Shay doubted God really cared one way or another. It was her neighbors she worried about.

“Beautiful, just beautiful. You’ll be the talk of the town on Founders Day.”

“No doubt.” Everyone in Moose Creek would be thinking about the last time she’d worn a wedding gown. And the time before that.

Especially the time before that.

Third time’s a charm, Shay thought, the corner of her lip turning up.

“Stop fretting,” Miss Lucy said, squeezing her shoulders. “You look quite fetching, like the gown was made for you. I won’t have to make a single alteration. Why, it fits you better than it ever did Jessie—don’t you tell her I said so.”

Shay tilted her head. Maybe Miss Lucy was right. The dress did make the most of her figure. And she had as much right to wear it as anyone. Maybe more—she was born and raised here, after all. It was just a silly old reenactment anyway. No one cared who the bride and groom were.

The bell jingled as the door opened behind her. She glanced in the mirror, over her shoulder, where a hulking silhouette filled the shop’s doorway. There was something familiar in the set of the man’s broad shoulders, in the slow way he reached up and removed his hat.

The sight of him constricted her rib cage, squeezed the air from her lungs as if she were wearing a corset. But she wasn’t wearing a corset. She was wearing a wedding gown. Just as she had been the last time she’d set eyes on Travis McCoy.

Review: The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund

When John Costin's young wife dies and leaves behind a young baby, Elizabeth Whitbread is determined to save the child's life--even if it means finding a wet nurse the elders in her church don't agree with. She also accepts a position as John's housekeeper and cares for the children during the day while John goes about preaching. She accepts this as her calling from the Lord, but soon falls in love with the children and feels a deep attraction to their father. But she's already agreed to marry another man and doesn't believe herself attractive enough to win John Costin's heart.

John feels a calling to preach even though it angers the Anglican church. He is repected by his Puritan community but the tensions in the country are thick between the Anglicans and the Puritans...and the Puritans are losing ground. John's vocation is putting the lives of those around him at risk from his enemies..including Elizabeth's.

When I picked up this book and started reading I absolutely hated to put it down. I was quickly sucked into John and Elizabeth's world and cheering on their romance! I also found the historical climate fascinating. I haven't read much about the Puritans, I think they are regrettably best remembered for the Salem Witch Trials, but I never spent much time thinking about why exactly they fled England for the States. It was interesting to read a story set in that time period.

Elizabeth is a very likable heroine if not a bit too perfect. She's a hard worker, she seems to act selflessly, though she does get a bit caught up in the performance trap. What I liked best about her was her refusal to shun the poor and instead she attempted to associate with them and help them. John was also very interesting and while I wanted to smack him a time or two, I did enjoy his story.

This is a very compulsive read, with fantastic romantic tension and suspense. The pacing is brisk and the characters recognizable. There's a fair bit of God talk but I feel it was somewhat authentic to the time period and the characters.

I was pleased to learn upon finishing the book that this is Jody Hedlund's imagined John and Elizabeth Bunyan. It was interesting and made more sense to me why the book was set when it was. She includes what's real in an author note in the back, but is clear to say that this is work of fiction.


Rating: 4.5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction
Source of Book: Review copy from publisher
Publisher: Bethany House (Baker Books)

Review: Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander

One thing I've learned in recent months...if I'm not a little scared inside, then I'm probably not where God wants me to be.
I used to say I love romance novels but I've found it hard to read them in the last year. Some of the tropes and language made me roll my eyes and almost give up on the genre altogether. In truth, I like nothing more than a sweeping, epic love story but the romances I read weren't doing much for me. (although I read some winners for the INSPYs but in order to refrain from influencing the judges I won't say anything about them!)

I do however, love Tamera Alexander's books I've read and was looking forward to reading her newest book, Within My Heart. I felt a little bit nervous, wondering if I'd enjoy it in the same way, or if I was done with romance altogether.

I'm so happy to say that I'm not done with romance altogether. In fact, if all romance novels were like this one, I'd probably read little else. Yes, it was that good. Let me tell you why.

Within My Heart is the third book in Alexander's Timber Ridge Reflections, but it can be read as a standalone. I had been introduced to both the hero and heroine in the other books and was very eager for their story as they both intrigued me. Rachel Boyd is a young widow and a fierce woman. Having lost the love of her life at a young age, she's determined to raise her two sons on the ranch that was her husband's dream. Times are tough, her cattle are dying in the bitter cold weather and she's behind on payments. But she has the goodwill of the town on her side.

Rand Brookston is a the town's single young doctor. He has tremendous compassion for his patients and a desire to open a clinic that will better serve them. He doesn't have the funds for it, his patients pay in meat and discarded garments, but he's daring and bold and willing to do what he can to save them.

What brings Rachel and Rand together is the care of Ben Mullins, the owner of the general store who has suffered a heart attack. With his health on the severe decline, Rand is determined to do everything he can to extend the time Ben has with his wife, Lyda. Rachel is also committed to his care, since he's a surrogate father to her sons. Taking care of Ben forges a friendship between these Rand and Rachel.

First of all, I absolutely loved both Rachel and Rand. Their relationship doesn't develop quickly, but slowly throughout the book. In this sense, it's incredibly believable and feels so real. As they fall in love with each other, we as readers fall in love with them.

And they are characters of incredible depth. Both are battling huge fears in their lives and in some ways just fighting to stay afloat. Rachel has her hands absolutely full and I couldn't help but admire her as she worked to make the right decisions, to let go of the past, to take brave steps to move forward. And Rand was incredibly patient as well and admirably willing to recognize his faults when Rachel pointed them out.

One of the things I most admire about this book as a romance is that the love between Rand and Rachel makes them both better people. No they aren't dependent on each other for life, or angsty and desperate, but they genuinely bring out the best in each other. Rachel helps Rand recognize his arrogance and face his fears. Rand supports Rachel in recognizing what her dreams are and always always always treats her as an equal partner in work. I love this so much.

And the writing! The writing is so precise and perceptive. Such as this when Rachel watches the sunset:
"A longing took hold deep inside, one both fresh and ancient, familiar yet unfathomable."
Or this:
"In the moment Rand's arms came around her, she knew it didn't matter whether death came suddenly, without warning, or whether it came slowly, giving you time to memorize the sound of its footsteps and the hollow cadence of its march. Whichever way death came, and however much she believed that the grave held no lasting victory, the same terrible rending tore deep down inside, severing what was from what would never be again."

Within My Heart is about so much more than two people falling in love. It's about celebrating life, about living it to its fullest, about stepping out in faith even when fear holds you in its grip, it's about saying goodbye to the people you love. It's beautiful, gorgeously written, layered, and utterly and completely delightful.

A good book asks you to join in on the journey of the characters. I gave my heart and soul to Rachel and Rand's journey, and I was not disappointed. In fact, as embarrassing as it is to say, I cried a few tears of joy at the end. It is a beautiful heartfelt story and the very best kind.

Rating: 5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction. And while the faith is subtle and natural it is absolutely present
Source of Book: Received from publisher for review
Publisher: Bethany House (Baker)

Review: Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

When I first suggested to my skype book club that we read a romance for February I thought it was sort of an original idea and admittedly I was trying to torture these literary fiction loving ladies just a little bit. I have since discovered that LOTS of book clubs read romances for February and I succeeded in torturing my club mates. Love you guys!

Actually a different club member suggested this particular book. It's an historical which is not my preferred kind of romance, I far prefer contemporary romance (and really romantic suspense). But I had been wanting to read Lisa Kleypas so it seemed like a good idea.

To be honest with you, I thought this was a pretty good romance though it was riddled with romance cliches. The writing style of the author was lovely and flowed easily,I was never distracted by choppy sentences and it was adequately descriptive.

The story is opens with Evangeline Jenner, who is a bit of a wallflower, going to Viscount St. Vincent (Sebastian) and asking him to marry her. He'll get her inheritance which he desperately needs and she'll get safety from a marriage her family is trying to force her into. He loves his woman and likes to bed a different one every night and she is of course, innocent and a virgin.

Once married of course he starts feeling crazy about her and she likes him more than she was willing to admit to herself as well. But they have some obstacles to overcome in learning to trust each other, to run the business her father left behind, and avoid people trying to kill them.

What made this work as a romance for me was the fact that I enjoyed the characters and believed in their chemistry. I found the dialogue funny at times, and the writing descriptive and pleasant to read. It was an easy and fun read. It wasn't perfect, I'm not a fan of the sex is so great and then they fall in love storyline, or the man whore becomes reformed for his one true love, but I was able to overlook that for the most part.

Discussing it with the book club was interesting. Most of the women in the book club apparently don't like romance at all. Here are the general questions asked and comments made:

1) Why do women read this stuff?
2) How do they come up with so many ways to say you know, that?
3) It was so predictable it was boring.
4) Men in real life aren't like this.

I don't know why, but I enjoy reading romances occasionally. I LOVE reading epic romances (this was not one). I don't mind that they are predictable, I think they can be very fun, often humorous. I think they are ultimately comfort reads for me, they don't take long and can be very fun. I prefer ones that don't have explicit sex, like, for example Christian romances or Georgette Heyer. I certainly couldn't read nothing but romance, not even close, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy them from time to time. I will probably give Lisa Kleypas's contemporary novels a try sometime.

Rating: 4/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Explicit sex and profanity
Source of Book: Bought it
Publisher: Avon

Review: A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine

After a heavy thought provoking read like Battle Royale, sometimes I need nothing more than something that will make me smile. I quickly read Black Tie Affair By Sherrill Bodine, which is a cute romance set in Chicago.

Athena Smith is going to check out some vintage dresses her museum wants to add to their collection but while examining them strange things being to happen and she hallucinates that she's actually talking to the designer of the dresses herself! After being rushed to the hospital, it's discovered the dresses are covered in a kind of truth serum. While there, Athena sees her old flame Drew again. They broke up for a series of reasons a long time ago, but of course once they see each other again they are reminded anew of their love...but they have a lot to work through. And when the vintage dresses end up stolen, it's the perfect opportunity.

I really enjoyed this lighthearted book. It was quite short, didn't take long to read, and was the perfect read right after something heavy. I thought the concept and premise were unique and fun and I wouldn't have minded if they'd been explored a bit more. When I started reading this book, I was enjoying it so much--it reminded me that I like to read romances. Basically, in a time when everyone is talking about reading heavy weighty things and reading deliberately, I was reminded that I pretty much find value and enjoyment in reading all kinds of things, each in their own place.

Rating: 3.75/5
Things You Might Want to Know: romance novel..so yes some sex
Source of Book: Provided by publicist for review
Publisher: Forever Romance (Hachette)

Review: A Lady Like Sarah by Margaret Brownley

"This land...it changes a person," he said slowly. "It's changed me. I'm not the same person I was when I left Boston. I'm not sure God recognizes me now."
"This land doesn't change you," she said softly. "It just makes you more of who you are."

Sarah Prescott and Justin Wells meet in unlikely circumstances. She's an outlaw who's been captured by a lawman and is being transported back to Texas to be hanged. He's a minister moving from Boston to Rocky Creek Texas to take a new post. Despite their many differences, Justin and Sarah cannot deny a strong attraction growing between them. As they end up traveling together, they come across a group just attacked by Indians with only a small baby surviving. Justin and Sarah take baby Elizabeth into their care, thus creating a stronger bond between them. But Sarah is wanted dead. And Justin is loathe to see this happen. Can he find a way to save her?

This book was a complete and utter surprise to me. I was surprised by just how much I liked it. I loved both Justin and Sarah, they were both likeable characters but flawed in ways that made them seem human and real. The romantic and sexual tension was tastefully written, but still, you know, tension. The circumstances of the time period were written in such an interesting way, the Indians were never demonized, and the hardship of life in the West was portrayed.

This is a Christian fiction romance novel so both Justin and Sarah had spiritual issues they were dealing with alongside their romantic issues, and I loved this part of the book as well. They never came across as perfect with put upon flaws (like so many Christian fiction characters) but rather honest and real people simply trying to figure out what it meant to both believe in a loving God and share that love with others. While the book is fairly heavy on this, it never felt preachy it seemed grounded in the journeys of the characters.

And it was funny! I found myself grinning several times. The pacing is perfect, the romance melts your heart, the characters are loveable...quite simply to me it was the perfect Christian romance novel!

Rating: 4.75/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Christian Fiction
Source of Book: Received from publisher for review
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Review: Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

I had just finished one urban fantasy book and was in the mood for something similar to read when I stumbled across Katiebab's review of Blue Diablo. She gave it such a good review that when I spotted it in Barnes and Noble, I snatched it up. I'm really glad I did, because I enjoyed it!

Corine Solomon is living in Mexico and trying to lead a low profile life. She has an ability...when she touches certain objects she can see their history. But this ability comes at a steep cost to her physically.

Her ex-lover Chance shows up desperate for her help one day and she is pulled back into a life she tried to leave to help him. Chance's name is perfect, he brings good luck and fortune to himself. His mother has disappeared though, and he needs Corine's help.

Thus begins their adventure! Blue Diablo is the story of their hunt and the many things they come across as they try to find Chance's mother, Min. So yes this means sorcerer's and dark magic and all that stuff!

I really enjoyed Aguirre's writing...I found it to be crisp and descriptive. I absolutely adored Chance and I hope that Corine comes around to her senses and takes him back....there is another character in the story that creates a love triangle but I found him uninteresting at best. Team Chance! :)

I also really enjoyed the world that was created and Corine's history should prove to be very interesting for future stories. This was a good pick for me, an enjoyable read that satisfied my craving for some urban fantasy.

Rating: 4/5
Things You Might Want to Know: There is language throughout, and sexual references as well.

Blue Diablo is published by ROC (penguin) and available everywhere now including at Amazon and your local independent bookstore.

Review: Fire Me by Libby Malin

Anne Wyatt is all prepared to hand in her resignation when her boss announces that the company needs to cut costs and they will be eliminating one position. Anne almost tells him there's no need when he also announces that a very attractive severance package will be offered to the person let go. He flings a Survivor style day on them. Because she detests her boss with whom she had a failed love affair, Anne decides to become the perfect candidate for firing!

But to complicate matters, Ken has a thing for Anne and wants to protect her job. And Anne might not be the only one who wants to be fired!

This is a really cute book with some genuine laugh out loud moments. The entire book takes place in a day and to be perfectly honest it's hard not to feel a bit envious of Anne and how perfectly she sabatoges her job. But on another note, I couldn't help but identify with her...working a job she didn't really care about, at the age of 29!! and feeling stuck. Sadly, I'm still searching my office for a Ken!

I recommend this book for when you're looking for a little escapist reading and the chance to have some wish fulfillment through a book! How awesome would it be to order expensive gifts for everyone in the office on the boss's account, announce his salary cut, or jam up the copy machines?

Rating: 4/5