Saturday, May 14, 2011

Book Review: "Hooking Up" by Jessica Degarmo


 Hooking Up by Jessica Degarmo.

Would you go out to a bar and pick up any random handsome man to spend the night with to mute the heartbreak of your long-term lover - your rock - walking out on you?

Caitlin Edison was so badly hurt by her boyfriend of ten years leaving her that she no longer wanted love, she wanted a cure for love.

About the Author
When she is not writing, collecting gemstones and spending time with her family of dogs, children and a husband, Jessica L. Degarmo is a country music DJ and the lead singer in a classic rock band.

Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 216 KB
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Night Publishing (April 30, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004YTFA6M

My Review of "Hooking Up"

It’s always a little hard on an author releasing a second novel especially when the first one “{How to Meet A Guy at The Supermarket} was so very well received.


I admit to being a fan of Ms Degarmo after her first novel, and was looking forward to reading “Hooking Up.”  I am delighted with what this new novel had to offer.


Some characters in romance genre seem so one dimensional, Jessica Degarmo’s new female character of Caitlin is far more clearly defined in my opinion than ‘Quinn’ who was resident female in novel number one.


Caitlin is more fleshed out, crafted with a more delicate hand, and deliberately so.  She is well rounded and emotional, honest to a fault, insecure, loving, and more importantly, she is lovable.


  I care about her happiness and over the course of the novel, I found myself tearing up at the rejection and pain she had known in her life.



The last rejection inflicted by her live in boyfriend walking out on her with no apparent difficulty sends Caitlin into a freefall of insecurity. 


Insecurity caused by her Grandmother who raised her without affection. A bitter twisted woman who punished her granddaughter for the loss of her parents.  She provided a roof, food, and schooling and that is where it ended.  Caitlin had never known unconditional love in her life …except perhaps from her Sensei, Isamu.


Convinced by her friends that she needs a man…just a one nighter to satisfy her needs, Caitlin goes ahead and does just that for the first time in her life…, 


Enter Ryan.


The sex sizzles without making you squirm…the chemical reaction is explosive and deftly handled by the author.


Ryan is supposed to be like other guys after a one-night stand.  He isn’t.  Ryan is sexy, in and out of his police uniform, yet he is more than that, he is gentle, caring … and in the midst of a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife.


I don’t want to spoil this book for you, suffice it to say that the plot is well thought out, and the twists can catch you unprepared.


Jessica Degarmo excels in this genre; she has an innate understanding of human nature, and her male characters are as beautifully drawn as the women. 


There is nothing clichéd in this book, the richness of the characters make them memorable.


  Even the secondary characters are fleshed out well.  The grandmother is easy to despise, and as for Ryan’s Ex wife…well, trust me you wouldn’t choose her as a friend.



This book is crafted beautifully, and Ms. Degarmo has clearly researched it well…her knowledge of Karate in the book is faultless
.
I hope guys will pick this up to read as well as the women out there. 


 This book goes way beyond warm and fuzzy chicklit.  It is a finely honed and entertaining novel, and I will have no hesitation recommending it to anyone who enjoys a great read.







1 comment:

  1. Interesting - I've read the opening of both of her books - Supermarket and Hooking Up and bought Supermarket for my Kindle. But after reading this review, I might have to start with Hooking-Up instead.

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