TEST
I’ve come to the conclusion, never read the sequel before you read the prequel.
I so enjoyed Wife Is A Four Letter Word that I was certain that the first book would be equally as funny. Now, maybe my mood changed between finishing the second book and beginning the first book but I don’t really think so.
Kids is about John Sterling, widower, who has three children – make that three holy terrors. Jo Montgomery is an interior designer who has no intention of ever having children because she doesn’t know how to relate to children, or so she believes. John hires Jo to decorate his house and she walks into this wonderful “domestic” scene of unbelievable proportions.
The one good laugh I had in this story is when Jo shows up at John’s house to do a pre-assessment of the work needing to be done. She finds three hooligans running around like fiends. The nanny’s tied to the chair and while the boys are playing Indian. Then the nanny escapes the house, leaving Jo totally responsible for the children. Funny stuff, but not believable. Reality went out the door along with the nanny, and so did much of my interest.
I’ve dithered about this review for several days because I didn’t really want to say this book is bad; and, to be honest, it isn’t a bad book at all. It’s a straight forward story about two people who meet and fall in love. The only thing I found was, there wasn’t enough story with Jo and John alone. The kids were always there, in almost every scene. How can two people fall in love if they’re never or hardly ever alone?
I realized from the title that children were going to play an important role in this story. But I think that the length hindered the development of the romance. It needed to be just a tad longer and focus more on Jo and John and less on the kids. If these little brats had been mine, they’d have been sent to their rooms on a permanent time out years ago!
The sequel to Kids is a wonderful read, and perhaps my expectations for this book could never have been met. I actually enjoy “baby” books, and there were several scenes that should have been funny, but rung hollow to me. Kids Is A Four Letter Word just wasn’t the romp I thought it would be and I’m disappointed in that. If you want a nice, light read where the children really seem to be the main focal point, then I’d read this book. If you’re looking for more of a romance, the sequel is far superior.
Grade: C
Book Type: Series Romance
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 12/02/98
Publication Date: 1997/12
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.