Manhunting

Manhunting by Jennifer Cruise falls between trashy romance novels and regular old chick-lit. There wasn’t enough explicit sex for it to be trashy enough. I’m not sure if you would find this book in the romance aisle at the bookstore, but Harlequin, a classic trashy romance novel publisher, published this so it’s a tough choice on how to label this one.

Kate Svenson has been engaged three times already, and longs to be in a successful, stable relationship. She works as a business developer in her father’s firm and is looking for a man who is wealthy, successful and ambitious as her. Her ultimate goal would be for her significant other and her to start their own business together.

Her best friend suggests that Kate take a trip to a fancy resort where she can meet men that fit her plan. Of course there is Jake Templeton, who works as a handy man on the resort. He is ruggedly handsome and determined to never have a real job ever again. After working in the rat race and being burnt out, he came home and helped his younger brother start up the resort. He is not looking for any responsibility and after being divorced, never wants to get married again.

Obviously these two fall for each other. And neither one is willing to sacrifice their principles for the other. So instead they become miserable until it is too much to bear and eventually both compromise to make the other happy.

I can’t decide if I would pick up another of Cruise’s books again. The entire plot was predictable along with the character’s reactions. Romance novels follow a typical format anyways, and this was pretty cookie cutter. I’m beginning to realize where I get my unrealistic ideas about love and romance. I have read way too many of these stories.

I think what really bothered me was at the end when Kate was willing to compromise everything that she ideally wanted in a husband because she fell in love with Jake. I’m sorry; I just don’t believe that love will conquer all. And we have these firm ideals of what we want for a reason. I guess that’s why the classification for this book is important to me. If this is a trashy romance novel than I can accept it for what it is, but if it’s supposed to be chick-lit, it needs to have a next level for me. Doesn’t have to be too deep, but still another level.