Review: Crossed Wires

Crossed Wires
by Rosy Thornton

I have done it! I have finally managed to complete an entire book. There are times when I devour books like my favorite cherry cheesecake. And then there are times, like now, when I can only take in a few pages at a sitting. It's been slow going but persistence has paid off.

Books each have their own style. Some move at a heart stopping pace, never letting up on the suspense. Some take energy and brain work to get to the core. But Crossed Wires was a gentle stroll through a quaint little park at the beginning of spring. It was a good, clean vacation romance.

It all starts when Peter, avoiding the neighbor's cat, runs his car into a tree stump. Mina is the young insurance claims agent to take his call. She is soon charmed by his humble manner and soon begins an over-the-phone friendship. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

What I liked about the book were the characters. They are all people you would want to meet in real life. They are good and kind and funny. They are just everyday folk with everyday insecurities; good people with the kind of concerns real people would have. And I liked the pace of the book. Nothing was rushed. The friendship between Peter and Mina develops naturally. Both of these can be liabilities too though. The characters are a little two dimensional. The storyline lacks action most of the time.

Maybe is was just the way that my reading has been lately or that I have been on vacation but the structure of this book worked for me. I would read about a day or two in the lives of Peter and Mina and then set it down. When I was ready to pick it up again it was as if just in time to hear their weekly phone conversation. I might describe it as milk and cookies reading; who doesn't take a measure of comfort from a dose of milk and cookies before bed?

Oh, and the quite British references, while sometimes lost on me, always made me smile. I would recite them aloud on occasion to see how they felt on my very American tongue. They gave the book charm and flavor.

I'd like to thank Rosy Thornton for sharing her characters with me. You can check out her website here. I like what she has to say about becoming an author. She's quite funny.

Buy this book at Amazon.