This is a simple story so well told that the characters leap off the page.
Delaney Michaels and Sam Kirk have been best friends since their early teens. Both extreme sports enthusiasts, they decide to turn their hobby into a profession and found X-Pro magazine. Eight years later, they are both 30 years old, running a successful business and living in the same apartment building in Melbourne. Problem is, Delaney has been in love with Sam for years, but doesn’t want to jeopardise their friendship by admitting this to him.
After spending a few days with her sister and her family, Delaney realizes that she’s never going have a husband and children of her own unless she makes some drastic changes in her life. Although she’s had boyfriends over the years, they’ve never lasted and were always compared unfavourably to Sam. After much soul-searching, she reaches the reluctant conclusion that she will never meet Mr Right unless she distances herself from Sam. She returns home determined to change her job and find somewhere else to live.
Sam has missed Delaney during her time away. He’s set up the prerequisite practical joke for her first day back in the office. But the joke is on him when she walks in and announces her intention to sell her half of the magazine. Adding to his hurt and confusion, she doesn’t explain why, simply saying she’s ready for something new.
Delaney’s next step is to get her hair done and buy some new clothes. Sporting a fabulous new hairstyle and swopping her usual sports clothes for a sexy outfit, she embarks on her first date in her hunt for Mr Right. Jake is a nice guy but he’s not Sam.
Sam, meanwhile, is stunned by the new-look Delaney and consumed with jealousy during her date with Jake…
The premise of this story doesn’t break any new ground. The quality of the storytelling does. Mayberry animates her characters and makes them seem so real. She keeps secondary characters firmly in the background, and does not detract from the development of the romance by adding elements of suspense, or unnecessary subplots. As the book is short (244 pages in its e-book form), this was much appreciated.
Two elements which might have irritated me in the hands of a less talented author flow seamlessly. Firstly, Delaney’s decision to have a make-over seemed natural. She’s always worn sports clothes because she’s never had to wear anything else. They fit her job and her lifestyle, and she’s never before made a conscious effort to make herself attractive to the opposite sex. She’s ready to embrace her feminine side but doesn’t go over the top.
Also, Sam doesn’t have a sudden epiphany and realize he’s in love with Delaney. On some level, he always has been, but tells himself it’s a platonic love. He realizes his close friendship with Delaney has cost him at least one potentially serious relationship, but he doesn’t care. She’s more important to him than anyone else. Confronted with the choice of facing up to his feelings and risking their friendship, or losing his chance with her forever, Sam gets his act together.
Another testament to Mayberry’s writing skills is that the sex scenes don’t feel contrived. This is a Harlequin Blaze, which are known for being spicier than the books I usually read. I’m someone for whom less is more when it comes to sex in romance novels. If there’s more than one sex scene, I often end up skimming. This being a Blaze, there are several such scenes, but, amazingly, they actually work in the context of the story.
Finally, I loved the Australian setting. A couple of the scenes in the book reminded me that I’ve always wanted to try surfing.
Anything For You was my first book by Sarah Mayberry. After finishing it, I immediately ordered her entire backlist from eHarlequin. I guess that says it all.
Grade: A
Note: Anything For You is part of the Harlequin Blaze imprint and is currently out-of-print. It’s available in e-book form from the eHarlequin website.
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This is one of my all time favorites but I’ve been impressed with everything Sarah has written, I’ve read all that’s available on the Harlequin site. Makes me wonder what she might do with a longer more complicated story – if she got a chance to write and publish it.
I’m currently working my way through her backlist and I’ve enjoyed the three I’ve read so far.
I’d also be curious to see what she would do with a longer story but I don’t feel at all deprived with the category titles. She focuses on the main couple in each book and doesn’t get bogged down with superfluous secondary characters or events. I find it frustrating when category authors spend too much time on other characters, or make the story overly complicated. It rarely works in a short book, at least in my experience.
Hi Sarah!
Despite the fact that this book is out of print, I’m seeing reviews of it and other Sarah Mayberry category romances, pop up in a lot of places. The other blogger who reviewed this same novel also spoke highly of it. I’m adding it to my wish list! Used or ebook format, of course.
@Christine: The eHarlequin website is brilliant. They price their ebooks lower than their paperbacks, which is an important consideration as I refuse to pay more for an ebook.