NOVEMBER 2016 - AudioFile
With a hint of a Southern accent, narrator Violet Strong draws the listener into the romantic entanglements of Leah and Sam. Plus-size heroine Leah is at a bar with a friend when she spots Sam. Attracted to her but not wanting to get involved, Sam tries to brush her off but finds he’s drawn to her. Then a misunderstanding leads Leah's mother to believe that Leah and Sam are engaged. The cast of characters—from Leah's and Sam's friends to Leah's crazy family—are successfully voiced by Strong. Especially effective are her portrayals of the heroine's self-doubts and the hero's internal struggles. Listeners will be rooting for Leah and Sam's happy ending. S.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
10/31/2016
This mostly successful contemporary romance, set somewhere in the American South, piles on the appreciation for women of size. Sam Cooper, a gorgeous contractor with a sweet tooth, thinks bakery owner Leah Martin is delightfully curvy, but Leah keeps harping on her own weight, a habit she learned from her blithely critical mother, Nancy. To prove to Leah that she’s desirable, Sam impulsively tells Nancy that they’re engaged. Bliss’s humorous writing extends to the title, a double entendre referring as much to Sam’s rumored tiny package as Leah’s weight. Readers will cheer when Sam goes after Nancy; he may have commitment issues, but he will not allow anyone to dis his fake fiancée. Some sour moments intrude: Bliss (Playing with Fire) definitely takes Leah’s self-deprecation over the top, and an overused plot device sets the final romantic conflict in motion. Even so, two well-matched characters finding love without too much angst makes for a fun read. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
"Romance novels with heroines who are not model thin are hard to find and valuable. Fans of Jennifer Weiner will enjoy Bliss."—Booklist
"Size Matters tackles sensitive subjects like weight, low self-esteem and overbearing families with funny lines and relatable characters."—HeroesandHeartbreakers.com
"Fresh, fun, adorable!"—Lori Wilde, New York Times bestselling author
NOVEMBER 2016 - AudioFile
With a hint of a Southern accent, narrator Violet Strong draws the listener into the romantic entanglements of Leah and Sam. Plus-size heroine Leah is at a bar with a friend when she spots Sam. Attracted to her but not wanting to get involved, Sam tries to brush her off but finds he’s drawn to her. Then a misunderstanding leads Leah's mother to believe that Leah and Sam are engaged. The cast of characters—from Leah's and Sam's friends to Leah's crazy family—are successfully voiced by Strong. Especially effective are her portrayals of the heroine's self-doubts and the hero's internal struggles. Listeners will be rooting for Leah and Sam's happy ending. S.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
