The Right Man

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it did have time travel in it, but a lot of it was present time also. Only a part in the middle had the time travel. This book was different, but it was well worth reading. You won't be sorry if you get it.

This is not your ordinary romance novel. It was so unexpected and so much fun! I have yet to read a novel quite like this one. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes to read books with a twist and a lot of adventure. I could not put it down.

There is a saying in the romance industry that few writers take chances. New writers can't, because they don't have enough "clout," and established writers won't because they don't want to "disappoint reader expectations." Luckily for fans of Anne Stuart, right from the first in her almost 30 years of writing romance, she has flown in the face of both these dictums, having made a career of doing the unexpected. And never more so than in The Right Man.In fiction, whether popular or literary, one of the greatest gifts a writer can have is a distinctive voice, which becomes the author's trademark and is apparent from work to work. Even more wonderful than this, though, and as rare as rubies, is a writer so talented that she can vary her voice to suit the story. Anne Stuart proves herself to be such an exceptional artist in The Right Man. I am not a particular fan of film and novelistic noir of the late 1940s and 1950s (and therefore no expert on the subject), but from the little I have watched of that art form, it is highly recognizable. I believe it was a touch of genius for Stuart to fall into this style or "voice" for writing the segments of this time travel set in 1949. The cryptic, highly structured noir style of dialogue, in particular, sets us firmly in the late 1940s, and lends itself to a concise and deliberate pacing that, while moving the book along rapidly (essential in a short book such as this), never seems too rushed. The noir voice as used here is also so highly visual, one can easily imagine the book being made into a film, with the original dialogue carried into a script intact. (Are you listening, Lifetime? )The use of the wedding dress, which is the major plot device of the "Gowns of White" Harlequin series this book is part of, as a magical device for time travel, while not a wholly new technique in and of itself, is quite original in its execution. My three favorite aspects are these: the way the dress, like an enchanted cape from a fairy tale, never soils or wrinkles; the way the magic brought by the dress spills over into all the other major characters' perceptions, and the way we are never quite sure if the time travel really happens or is a case of mass hypnosis (though this possibility is pleasantly mystical in and of itself).As wonderful as the magic and the noir voice are, they do not overwhelm that which is the ultimate reason fans read romance: the love relationship. In this book, we get not one, but two great pairs of lovers. The level of sexual tension and expressed passion between each duo is incendiary, and the resolution of the internal and external conflicts, both within the protagonists individually and within the two love relationships, is believable and satisfying.All in all, this is not only one of the best romance novels I've read in the past few years, but, in my opinion, one of the best short contemporaries I've read in almost 20 years of enjoying this genre.

Leave it to Anne Stuart to twist this plot line around (and around)and make it work. Tackling a bit of time traveling in a shorter book is difficult at best, making it work as spendidly as she did is a rare feat indeed. Brava, Anne! As another reader mentioned, I only wished it were longer so I could have enjoyed my time in the (multiple )lives of Susan and Jake that much longer. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Harlequin's promo department goes into overdrive on the cover of this book, proclaiming just how incredible and one-of-a-kind Anne Stuart is. After reading "The Right Man," I can't disagree with them one bit. The heroine, Susan Abbott, is just days away from getting married to a solid, dependable, passion-less guy, when an old family friend sends her a wedding dress--care of a sexy stranger named Jake. Before long, Susan is all-too-tempted by the stranger, who is everything her fiance is not. But just when you think the story will be about Jake wooing Susan, the novel spins off in an entirely different--and wonderful--new direction.This story probably won't do much for those who like solid, dependable stories where the couple fights for a while, circles around each other warily, gradually falls for each other, then decides to let each other know it at the end (I've read reviews saying that much). And they're right. This isn't the kind of book where people spend 250 slow pages falling in love. This is one of those hugely romantic, love-at-first-sight, throw caution to the winds and go for it kind of books. Frankly, I was getting kind of bored of Susan and her mother having endless conversations in the beginning. But once the middle section took over I was completely won over. The book is wonderfully romantic, with hissable bad guys and a heroine who makes you want to cheer when she stands up to them. I loved every minute of it. Those who like a different kind of romance will love it, anyone who thinks some of Ms. Stuart's single titles are too dark will find this much more to their liking...and for those who like those predictable romance tales, give this one a chance anyway. It really is one of the most sheerly romantic, fun, and exciting books of the year.