Mari Jane Law

Quirky, zany, improbable but…

An unusual story about a Catholic priest, Father Thomas Sheridan, with a Jewish mother, who decides he wants to leave the priesthood, fall in love with a woman ,and have a family. He doesn’t want to be alone.
Of course things become super entangled and Father Tom ends up being coerced into doing wedding shots for a cop’s wedding day (strange story), counselling a gay couple, and meeting the woman of his dreams in a dark cupboard. Only that woman, Faith Goddard was having her own problems with her lying, cheating ex boyfriend, and a sister with ill health whom she’s supporting. Faith thought Cupboard Man and Tom the photographer were two seperate people. So what’s a girl to do when she likes them both, and doesn’t realize they’re the same person? And no, the lights haven’t been turned on in that dark cupboard, which strangely resembles more the Confessional than anything else.
The tale weaves a mind boggling complex dance with the degrees of separation more like three than six. Fortunately the misunderstandings, missed opportunities and misapprehensions came together rather satisfactorily to forge something new.
The Catholic Church has a few questions thrown it’s way about attitudes, homophobia, married priests and housekeepers.
I wondered where the story was going at first but as it wandered through bravely weird territory I found myself rather enjoying it.
An off-the-wall engaging rom com!

A BooksGoSocial ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.… (lisätietoja)

It’s been a while since I read an endearing rom-com, and I can so understand the appeal. Some days there is nothing quite like losing yourself to the pages of a charming work of fiction, - one with quirky and unusual characters, who each aren’t aware of the others immediate attraction to them, and must naturally face all sorts of predicaments, smile-inducing mix-ups and misunderstandings until they can finally claim their lovingly-ever-after. Taking us with them through it all, until emotionally drained and now finally satisfied, we arrive at our shared and well-deserved warm-and-fuzzy happy place.

Fans of rom-com will not be disappointed in “Love and Pollination”, a sweet and satisfying story that hits all the right notes, but is also a little bit different, particularly in its choice of a heroine.

Perdita, our female protagonist, is a bit of a puzzle, - a twenty-eight year old orphan who was convent-raised and is still so naive that her innocence ends up leading her into all sorts of hilarious encounters, as well as romantic misadventures. (I must admit it did take me a while to warm to Perdita, and initially found her extraordinary lack of worldly experience stretched credibility. But she definitely grew on me and her naïveté contributed to the funniest of the story arcs.)

On the other hand, Saul, our hero, is pretty much the opposite - gruff, mistrusting and cynical about life, particularly when it comes to women, (who we learn, with no huge surprise, have burned him before). We all know someone just like Saul, who is the perfect foil to guileless Perdita, and chemistry between them becomes inevitable.

A big thank you to the author for a review copy of this lovely book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts presented are my own.… (lisätietoja)