The Dominant Blonde

The bright green cover of the Dominant Blonde caught my eye, and I picked it up. Boy, am I glad I did. Lydia Gold's life isn't perfect. She's a little over weight, has a bad career and many dating disasters. When her current boyfriend, Abe, suggests a Caribbean vacation, Lydia figures he must be ready to pop the questions. Instead she discovers that Abe has embezzled millions of dollars from her family. When Abe doesn't return after a scuba dive, Lydia enlists the help of sexy rescue diver, Liam. Together, Lydia and Liam try to sort out what happened to Abe while fighting a mutual attraction. This book is smart and funny. A great way to spend an afternoon.

I found myself in the bookstore, a half-hour before I needed to meet someone. I didn't really need another book but I just couldn't resist browsing. I came upon a table of books with a sign saying, "Urban Literature." All the books had covers that clearly screamed, "Chick Lit", so I was skeptical of this perceived name change. It seemed to me that someone decided that the current genre name wasn't serious enough and it needed more mass appeal. I found Alisa Kwitney's book "The Dominant Blonde" there.Lydia Gold is an enigma. Her bleached blonde hair, curvaceous figure, and doe eyes make people want to protect her because they think she has no brains. As one of the characters share, "All (I) had discovered was that she looked and spoke like a glass of Hollywood champagne but she went down like the best Irish whiskey." If only Lydia had taken her Grandmother's advice about trusting a man: you must know how he spends his money, how he holds his drink, and how he loses his temper. When we meet Lydia she has finally taken this advice. Amazingly, she finds a man like none before. Abe is so taken with Lydia that she overlooks the lack of passion in their relationship; it burns out after all. While on vacation in Epiphany, Abe goes out diving solo from the dive group. Lydia gets concerned so she gets the captain, Liam MacNally to help look for him. Abe is missing. As Lydia is dealing with tragedy, she finds out Abe has taken three million dollars from her parent's business. Lydia starts putting clues together while cozying up with Liam.Liam is written as a man with intimate knowledge of how women think. Alisa Kwitney's portrayal of men and women was astounding. I thought she nailed it truer than any other author. The dialogue between Lydia and Liam was so honest and insightful. If only other writers could capture this, we would have higher quality books all the way around. This is sleeper that doesn't seem to have been marketed, which is unfortunate. "The dominant blonde" is by far my favorite book this year. I now know why the bookstore called that table "Urban Ligature." This is a straight up good read with more substance than your typical "Chick Lit" book. I grudgingly bow to their prowess.

Ooo, what's this? This book is so deceptive. At first, you think it's just the perfect light reading for summer - and it is. It's not long, big type, lots of white space (easy to find your place again after you doze off reading it at the beach!) It seems like a typical girl meets boy book. (And what a boy - one of the best "heroes" I've read in a while.) But wait! Now we get gypsies, Russian gangsters, dubious (but charming) islanders who love to jitterbug! Now there's drama 60 feet under the surface of the ocean! Next you're pondering what we all expect out of our relationships, and ourselves and how our past prevents us from achieving our future. Folks, this book may seem light and fluffy, but it's not. It's a jewel, and you need to read it. Now.

I admit it: I judge a book by its cover. When I saw The Dominant Blonde on the shelf, I thought that the book was going to be as good as its weak cover, but a stranger at the bookstore told me that it was great and that I ought to buy it. So I did. Best move I could have made!Lydia was out on a romantic vacation with Abe, her current beau. When her boyfriend drowns during a diving excursion, she thinks she'll never find someone again, for men see her blonde hair and assume that she is stupid. But when she finds out that Abe has embezzled $3 million from her father, she seeks the help of a sexy Irish scuba instructor -- and gets more than she bargains for. The Dominant Blonde is an engrossing and sensuous read. By far, one of the best romantic mysteries I have read in quite a long time. Don't be fooled by its silly cover, read this gem! You won't regret it!

As a male, I must admit I started the book thinking it would be the literary equivalent of a "chick flick". Boy was I thoroughly surprised. The tale of Lydia and Liam surpasses genders and is simply about the triumph of love and the fact it can seek us out at the most unexpected of times. What a fun story! I laughed out loud on several occasions, and I would be remiss if I did not mention the sexual overtones of the book - this is a hot tale!Bravo - I only hope Ms. Kwitney is busy writing her next novel.