Daphne's Aunt Dee has passed away and for the time being, she's living in Aunt Dee's house, writing Aunt Dee's advice column, and taking care of life in general. Across the street, Sabrina moves in--Sabrina, a lovely gal from Atlanta with a yappy chihuahua named Tootsie Roll; Sabrina, a woman who doesn't stop talking, who gets her way in a most persuasive manner, and who never leaves the house dressed less than her best. Next to Sabrina, Daphne finds Mr Renwald--her favorite teacher from high school and her inspiration to write. The only hitch in Daphne's life is that she must marry before her birthday the following May in order to keep her inheritance.
Melody Carlson has written a series of novels about Daphne, and I got to read them out of order. I will be reading Lock, Stock, and Over a Barrel soon and review it. But this review is about Dating, Dining, and Desperation. I really enjoy reading Melody's writings; she writes with humor and enough realism to make her novels quite an entertaining read. Daphne is a mid-thirties woman who spends a lot of time in front of her computer, writing. As a result, she's sort of let herself go. Sabrina enters the picture and begins her one-woman campaign to make Daphne over.
Men come and go throughout this novel like ants at a picnic--Jake, the attorney; Mick, the landscaper; Collin, Mick's friend; Harrison, the architect; Tony, the doctor; Spencer, the writer; Ricardo, the chef; and on it goes. Sabrina even takes Daphne to a speed dating event. Parts of the story had me laughing and other parts tore at my heart. Little Mabel and her grandmother, Vera, will break the reader's heart, but Daphne's love for Mabel will warm the heart.
Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a session of Speed Dating.
B&H Books provided the novel for me to read in exchange for my honest review.
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