Jemology

I read this book back-to-back with [b:How Sweet It Is|17290894|How Sweet It Is|Melissa Brayden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363658184s/17290894.jpg|23913152]. Both have the same premise, losing a partner in the prime of their lives. Both deal with the tortuous process of moving on. But the similarity ends there. The mood and tone of both books can't be any more different.

'How Sweet It is' is as earnest and poignant as 'Winds' is funny and endearing. As an unintended consequence of reading the books in sequence, I had to chuckle at the contrast between the two surviving partners. Even after 4 years, Molly ('How Sweet') still 'talks' to her late ex while Liz, in just 6 months, could barely remember hers.

Much of the charm of 'Winds' is due to the cutesy, cuddly (see cover) 3-year-old. A close second is the 40-something composer, Casey. Resigned to being a lifelong bachelorette, she is quite possibly the person least suited to the job of parenting. When, all of a sudden, she is saddled with not just one, or two, but three dependents, her world is turned upside down. The author successfully mines the highly improbable situation they're stuck in for maximum laughs and some pathos. Yet nothing feels forced, overdone or slapsticky. Liz is a bit more puzzling, but its probably just due to the pregnancy hormones.

I'm not particularly fond of child characters in romances. They tend to be annoyingly whiny or sassy, hog the limelight too much or just get in the way of the romance. Not Skye. If only all kids were like her. :)