Manhunt

by Janet Evanovich

Reviewed by Coral

Alexandra Scott is a desperate woman. Still single, no prospects on the horizon, she can feel the time on her biologic clock running out. So one day she makes an impulsive decision to give up her job and her apartment to buy a hardware store and cabin in Alaska. Since the men outnumber the women there, she believes it'll be much easier to find herself a husband up there.  Unfortunately, the man she finds herself hopelessly drawn to has made it very clear marriage is the last thing on his mind.

On the whole I am not a fan of the romance novel. I will admit to reading more than a few, and to liking a handful of them (like Connie Brockway's McClairen Island trilogy). Manhunt will not be making that short list.

It's just that, for the most part, most of these books sound exactly the same. The desperate woman hunting for a man and who must have a baby is not an original character. Why must woman always be looking for a man? Why can't they just be happy to be single, but find themselves swept away by love unexpectedly? And why must all women want children?

It's also unbelievable that Alexandra would be so willing to move in with a man she only just met, for all the reasons she herself states. Plus, dude who already had a child out of wedlock, learn your lesson! Use protection! Idiot.

Is a ten-year-old really too young to understand the dad/step-dad situation? Six, maybe, but ten? That's, what, grade 4 or 5? I remember them showing us the sex ed tapes about then, so I think a ten year old is capable enough to understand the whole second marriage concept, unless he's an idiot. Though, considering who his biological father is, that may not be much of a stretch.

On the whole, the book is harmless. A light, quick read, with not much depth to it.

Grade: C