Contemporary
Not the Marrying Kind
By Scarlet
Aug 11, 2007 - 1:56:42 PM

Once upon a time, sixteen years ago, Harriet P. Smith, nerd, went to the prom with handsome and worldly Jake Porter.   She was the least popular girl in school, content to focus on her art and getting away from Doolittle, Arkansas as fast as high school was over.   Jake, on the other hand, may have been the newcomer but everyone seemed to follow his lead from the onset.   Jake took Harriet to the prom, danced with her till the wee hours, took her to heaven in his arms, and disappeared the next morning.   Jake never knew he left Harriet with a lasting memory of their time together, his baby.   Now they are both back in Doolittle for different reasons, and neither is happy about it.   What will happen when Harriet’s secret is finally revealed to the music mogul?  

Jake is a big-time music executive with no plans to settle down and be a family man.   He learned hard way what marriage is like from his parents; constant bickering and fighting with no time to spend with their child.   He had to literally raise his mother since he was very small as she was lost in her own creative world.   But the one thing he never forgot was the girl who made a difference in his senior year of high school, the girl he never got to tell goodbye.   

A little bit of screwball comedy and an engaging love story make NOT THE MARRYING KIND a fresh and fun book from beginning to end.   Author, Hailey North may have been absent for a time, but she is back in full force with this latest offering.   Jake and Harriet are quite a pair; intelligent, independent, stubborn, prideful and made for each other.   Jake is convinced he will never be trapped into a permanent relationship and yet falls head over heels for a mystery woman.   Harriet, on the other hand, is trapped by the lies she has been living and hiding the truth from her son and the man who is his father.   The passionate pair, when they finally come together, burn up the pages like a Roman candle.   The secondary cast of characters is a lively mix, from Jake’s in-love father to their son, Zach, to many “old friends” from previous novels; Hailey North pens remarkably likable characters across the board.   The quirky sense of humor she is famous for is certain to garner Ms North many accolades.   NOT THE MARRYING KIND is a “must read” book.