Genre: Harlequin SuperRomance
POV: 3rd Person (both hero and heroine’s POVs)
Sensuality: Warm
Violence: Yes, but occurs off page
My Grade: B+
Although I have a couple of Harlequin SuperRomances on my TBR shelf, Match Made in Court by Janice Kay Johnson is the first one I’ve actually read. If this book is anything to go by, I may have misjudged this line. I’d dismissed the SuperRomances as being all about kids and babies. There is a child in Match Made in Court, but she’s not the usual precocious (read: obnoxious), cutsie romance kid. When I read the blurb, I knew I had to buy this book!
Linnea Sorenson has always lived in her older brother’s shadow. Their mother blatantly favours Finn, and Linnea is seen as less intelligent, less attractive, and generally less worthy. Finn is a successful lawyer with all the trappings of luxury. Married to Tess, an equally successful interior designer, the only less-than-perfect aspect to Finn’s life is his six-year-old daughter, Hanna, who is a shy and thoughtful child, and far more reminiscent of her Aunt Linnea’s character than her father would like.
In contrast to Finn, Linnea lives in a small but comfortable home. She works in a library and runs a petsitting business on the side. Linnea is concerned that her niece is not getting the support and stability that she needs from her wealthy-but-absent parents, and regularly has Hanna over to stay with her. This arrangement becomes more permanent when tragedy strikes.
When Finn is arrested on suspicion of having murdered Tess during an argument, Linnea is left in charge of Hanna. Although Linnea loves her brother, she’s well acquainted with his ferocious temper, and is less convinced of his innocence than their parents are. Due to their father’s poor health, she is considered the best person to look after Hanna while Finn awaits trial.
Tess’ brother, Matt Laughlin, is not pleased by this arrangement. Matt is a civil engineer working in Kuwait. When he learns of his sister’s murder, he takes an extended vacation and returns to Seattle to apply for custody of his niece. Matt has always despised his arrogant brother-in-law but even he is shocked that Finn would go so far as to kill Tess. However, the evidence is damning, and Matt is determined to take Hanna to live with him. Matt knows Linnea vaguely but was left with the impression of a meek, mousy woman and not the sort of person he wants to raise his niece.
Linnea, however, soon shows Matt she’s a mouse with claws. Both Linnea and Matt are dismayed when they are granted joint custody of Hanna until Finn’s trial is over. Forced to cooperate with one another, they realise they might have misjudged each other. Matt is not the moody man Linnea remembers, and Linnea is quiet but no pushover – especially not when Hanna’s welfare is at stake. A reluctant bond forms between Linnea and Matt which soon grows to attraction, and, despite the odds, love.
I loved the premise of Match Made in Court and the subtle characterization made this a compelling read. I’m not usually fond of meek heroines, but Linnea’s character was very well done. She does develop over the course of the story but she remains essentially the same person she was at the beginning: quiet, introverted, but prepared to stand up for herself when she feels strongly about something. Matt’s impatience and anger at the start of the book made it harder to warm to him. However, he quickly realises he’s misjudged Linnea and recognises the positive influence she has on his niece’s life.
I don’t want to spoil the outcome of the trial but I will say that I liked the author’s portrayal of Finn. He is deeply flawed and not a nice person, but the reader is shown a few redeeming points in his character. Similarly, Linnea’s fraught relationship with her parents was nicely dealt with. While progress was made over the course of the story, all their problems were not magically resolved by the end.
The weak point in this book was a pacing issue towards the middle. I felt the second half of the book lacked the momentum of the first part. Thankfully, it picked up again in the last few chapters.
For readers who want a sweet contemporary romance which focuses on the developing relationship between the hero and heroine and doesn’t get bogged down in secondary characters, subplots, and sex, I can highly recommend this book. I’ve ordered a couple more books by Janice Kay Johnson and I’m looking forward to reading them.
Other Reviews of Match Made in Court:
All About Romance – Grade A-
{ 5 comments }
Janice Kay Johnson rocks! I keep a stash of her books in my TBR and ration them out.
I’d dismissed the SuperRomances as being all about kids and babies.
This tends to dog the Silhouette Special Edition line as well. So much so that I’m thinking from now on, every time I review a Harlequin I should provide a cheat-sheet. Example: “One kid, not cutesy; no Greek tycoon, no virgin secretary, no secret baby.”
I’ve got this one on my Sony Reader. Must. Read. Soon.
I really enjoyed JKJ’s Snowbound, which was one of the Harlequin 60th Anniv freebies. (I think you can still pick it up in e-format on their site.)
I don’t read many categories, but I’ve really liked the HSRs that I have read. I’ll have to check this one out!
Wendy: I like that cheat-sheet!
HSR does do good, emotional stories. There are plenty of preggo heroines and babies for those who like that sort of thing, but I find it fairly easy to get stories that aren’t kid-intensive. I’ll admit that I used to avoid HSR for a while b/c I had the same perception you did, but I’ve since found some very good books.
@Victoria Janssen: I have a couple of Janice Kay Johnson’s other books on order and I’m looking forward to reading them.
@Wendy: I like the idea of a Harlequin cheat-sheet! I’ve now read three Harlequin SuperRomances and I enjoyed them all. Definitely a line I like, as long as I steer clear of too many babies.
@Renee: Thank you for the reminder! I think I have Snowbound on my iPod. Like you, I downloaded it while Harlequin had their 60-Year freebies, but I still haven’t read all of them.
@Lynn Spencer: On Wendy’s recommendation, I’ve also ordered SuperRomances by Beth Andrews and Kathryn Shay. I liked the ones I read by Sarah Mayberry and Karina Bliss.
{ 2 trackbacks }