I’m very happy to say that I liked this book quite a bit. Missouri Vaun is Paige Braddock’s pen name and I’ve had the privilege to interview Ms Braddock a few years ago. She’s one of the kindest people I’ve interviewed in my 20 years or so as a journalist. I’ve always loved her Jane’s World comics and I was excited to see her try her hand at novels. But the first ones I read didn’t work for me, so I abstained from reading more for a while.
Yet when I saw this one, I thought it might be time to try again, and I’m glad I did.
The story is 4, the characters are at least 4, the writing is more of a 3 or a 3.5. It’s a bit abrupt at times, making the reader want a couple more words.
Iris is a struggling actress living in Santa Monica, California but trying out for a part in Atlanta, Georgia and everything that day is going wrong. Finn is a limo driver hoping to one day become a stunt driver. When they first meet, Iris throws a glass of water all over Finn. As luck would have it, they meet again when a black bear scares Iris and Finn invites her to spend the night at her cabin. They spend the next day – which happens to be Iris’ birthday – together, have a lovely time then decide to drive to California together.
Both women are at a time in their lives when they feel like they need a break to finally make it. They’re both vulnerable and sensitive, which makes both for sweet romance and miscommunication. At some times I felt like shaking one, then the other, to make them open up to each other. But I loved the chemistry between them.
All in all, it was an enjoyable read, and the whole road trip idea was excellent.
Jude in the Stars 