The book opens with Marrying Mandy by Susan Mallery. Mandy Carter is meeting her friend Cassie Brightwell at Cassie’s family beach house (actually half a duplex) in Carpinteria, California. Mandy’s ex-husband, Rick Benson, lives in nearby Santa Barbara. Mandy has maintained a close relationship with Rick’s mother, Joanne, in the years since the divorce, and when Joanne finds that Mandy is staying near Rick she persuades Mandy to call him.

Rick is surprised to hear from Mandy. Mandy, who knows about Rick’s career success from Joanne, is surprised to find that the former nerd is now a hunk. The strength of their old attraction asserts itself with (pardon the expression) a bang. They realize that they have major unresolved issues and decide to see if they can put them to rest by becoming friends.

This is a swiftly paced and engaging novella that is just the right length for the story the author has to tell. Because Rick and Mandy already have history, the author can get right to the point of the relationship. She has also created smart characters who have changed enough since their marriage to approach it, and the sore spots it left, with more insight and maturity.

The result is a nicely crafted “second chance” story that manages to weave a healthy amount of realism with a satisfying romance. Overall, a very nice combination.

Courting Cassandra, unfortunately, is not as successful. Following a disastrous engagement and a decision to change jobs, Cassie just wants to hang with her best friend. Unfortunately, since Mandy has gotten back together with Rick, Cassie is at a bit of a loose end.

Until Kyle Stratton shows up. Kyle is the son of the family who owns the other half of the duplex. The families spent many vacations together over the years, and Kyle is both best friend to Cassie’s brother and the guy she had a massive crush on growing up. Kyle is also at the beach house to take a look at his life and do some re-evaluating.

Citing Kyle’s reputation as a fast-working lady-killer, Cassie tells him she wants a demonstration of his seduction technique. Not that they’d “go all the way” or anything, she’d just like to see how he works, particularly since he dropped the ball after their one teenaged date by never calling her again. Kyle is resistant, but since he seems to hurt her all over again every time he rejects her, he asks if they couldn’t just hang out and be friends, like the old days. Then, since deep down he really does want her, one thing leads to another.

At first the “seduction demonstration” just seemed contrived. It came out of left field and felt awkward. Then, when Cassie kept pushing, making innuendoes and badgering him even as Kyle made it clear he wanted her to cut it out, it started to make me uncomfortable. Finally I realized why. If the positions were reversed, if the man kept making suggestive remarks and coming on relentlessly to a woman after she made it clear she didn’t welcome his advances, would it have been sexy? Not to me. I didn’t find it any more romantic in reverse. Put off by this right from the start, it was difficult to warm up to Cassie or the relationship.

I would also have to say that Ms. Southwick’s use of language suffers by comparison. It’s distracting to trip over clunky phraseology (“a happening of monumental badness”), and unnecessary over-explaining (“Nudging his fingertips beneath her bra straps, he slipped it, along with her shirt, from her shoulders and let the whole tangled mess slide to the floor in a heap. She did the same to him, minus the bra.”) Uh, thanks for clearing that up.

It seems unfair to give just one rating to two such different stories, but I guess the average of “pleasurable” and “problematic” is “acceptable” - so, three hearts it is.

--Judi McKee