Loving Vivienne

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

​Title: Loving Vivienne
Author: Christina George
Publication date: 01/01/2017
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 2

Amazon blurb
What happens when you fall in love with a man you can never have?

Vivienne has it all, a successful writing career, a hit movie, a life most women dream of. The only thing missing is someone to share it with. So when a handsome, successful doctor saves her from near death, Vivienne is certain she's finally met the man of her dreams… Until she discovers who he is… or rather who his father is. The man who single-handedly tore apart her brother's life. Can she put the past behind her? Will she choose family over love? Or will she lose the man she feels destined to be with?

My Review
I don’t think there are any children of the 90s who didn’t daydream about being rescued on the beach by a hottie. I blame Baywatch. (Not the Hasslehoff years, but the Jason Momoa episodes) But while I give this one points for attempting to help readers relive those fantasies, I can’t say it was a success in any other sense of the word.

Here are my beefs:

1. The hero and heroine barely had a few conversations and maybe one date before they were falling into bed and declaring their love for one another. I wish real life happened this way, but...yeah, no.
   
2. The blurb hints that Vivienne and Daniel are somehow star-crossed. In reality, it’s only Vivienne’s asshattery that impedes their relationship. And I say any woman who is willing to reject a hot doctor simply because she doesn’t like his family doesn’t deserve him. Give any 20 single women anywhere in the world the same scenario and I don’t think they’d kick Daniel to the curb.
   
3. The Jamaican PA...stereotype much?
   
4. Daniel’s a little too Ken-doll perfect for my liking. He’s a hot, super-sweet guy who spends his free time saving orphans in Costa Rica. What, he didn’t have time to cure cancer and rescue sick puppies while he was at it? A few flaws might have made him more relatable.
   
5. It took a near death experience to convince the heroine that she was being an asshat. How convenient.
   
6. Daniel totally should’ve made Vivienne grovel before he took her back. And I mean GROVEL.
   

Overall, this one was a giant, heaping helping of “nope” for me. Vivienne deserves a good swift kick in the ass as far as I’m concerned.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Contributes! This one is in serious need of an intervention. It’s love-at-first-sight vibe and Daniel’s perfection make it unrealistic, and the whole reason why they can’t be together is a joke. A big, fluffy joke.

Other reading suggestions
If you want to read about people who REALLY have reasons why they shouldn’t be together and overcome those reasons in a believable way, try All In by Emma Scott and Step Brother Dearest by Penelope Ward. And for one you’ve probably never heard of from a lesser known author, A Great Catch by Michele Albert was FABULOUS with a kick-ass heroine (and man, did these 2 have a serious obstacle to overcome).

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