The Perfect Fit
by Mary Jayne Baker
Love in the Dales - Book 2
Publisher: Mirror Books
Release Date: August 1, 2019
Reviewed by PJ
After years living in London, costume shop owner Becky Finn is trying to build a new life for herself and fiancé Cole in her old home of Egglethwaite, a sleepy village in the Yorkshire Dales. Keen to raise funds for the struggling village hall she loved as a child, Becky soon finds herself at the head of a colorful group intent on resurrecting Egglethwaite’s Christmas pantomime. But, as she quickly discovers, there’s more to panto than innuendo and slapped thighs. As opening night grows closer, Becky starts to wonder if her embattled panto will ever make it to the stage—and, with handsome co-star Marcus on the scene, if she’s picked the right man for her after all.
My thoughts:
The Perfect Fit is a sweet and quirky Christmas romance that gives readers a peek into the lives and loves in a small English village. Centered around the villagers' attempts to save their community hall by staging a Christmas pantomime (I had no idea what an English panto was before reading this book), it's chock full of all the innuendo, cross-dressing, and slapstick found in British humor. I enjoyed the characters, and their humor, though, as an American, I often found myself struggling to keep up with the British vernacular.
Baker is a good writer with fully formed characters who spring from the pages with verve. By the end of the book, I truly felt as if I'd visited this village and knew her citizens well. This is a true ensemble cast who all contribute to the flow of the story. I especially enjoyed the older gentlemen who are dragged reluctantly into the panto and end up stealing the show. I found myself laughing out loud more than once.
I enjoyed Becky, Cole, and Marcus and empathized with their romantic dilemma, but had grown a bit weary of it by the time it was resolved. I was happy with the way it ended but would have enjoyed it more had one man exited a bit earlier, allowing more time for a relationship with the man who is her true match to develop and deepen. Still, I was happy with both the heart-tugging ending and Becky's choice, and found myself both laughing and tearing up at the way it all unfolded. And, I enjoyed these characters enough to give book one, A Bicycle Made for Two, a go.
If you enjoy bawdy British humor, sweet, light romance, and a village filled with quirky characters, all wrapped up in holiday fun, you may want to give The Perfect Fit a try.
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When I was growing up in England, my older cousin always took me and my siblings to see a pantomime.
ReplyDeleteI read A Question of Us, by Ms Baker. It is a fun story. And the idea of the story is really unusual and terrific.
ReplyDeletethe tweet says the giveaway is UK-only. :)
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