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Book Review of Fool for Love: Fooling Around / Nobody's Fool / Fools Rush In

Fool for Love: Fooling Around / Nobody's Fool / Fools Rush In
orchid7 avatar reviewed on + 266 more book reviews


This book is an anthology, and normally I won't really read anthologies unless there's a story in it that moves along a story line for a series I'm reading. I usually discover that due to their length, the stories are rushed and lack depth, as was the case here. It was an easy, light for the month of April, since all of the stories related to April Fool's Day pranks, but there were definitely both positives and negatives.

Fooling Around by Vicki Lewis Thompson: This story had me chuckling a few times. It's the story of three friends (Lena, Brandy, and Meg) who developed a bond during a weekend motivational seminar, and hatched the idea for their April Fool's Club. Every year during the ten day period surrounding April 1st, the women dreamt up squirm-worthy stunts for each other designed to build strength of character by breaking through their "fool factor". Lena was the main character, and her required stunt focused on her asking out the cutest single guy she knows. She needs to tell him it's for dinner, light entertainment, and dancing, and to dress accordingly. Then she needs to take him for fast food, a belly-dancing lesson, and goofy golf. She asks her crush Andre, he accepts, and there are the usual "complications", including the old work scenario, etc. Insta-love and quick bed-hopping. A shallow, slightly funny story.

Nobody's Fool by Stephanie Bond: I really didn't like the hero of this story at all. I thought he was a mean-spirited individual who suddenly does a 180 once he "realizes" that he's going to hurt the heroine with his "prank". I think she should have punched him in the nose instead of hopping into bed with him. Completely unbelievable.

Fools Rush In by Judith Arnold: I'm torn about this one. The whole premise for the story is a bit odd. The hero is a manager at a radio station, and for April Fool's Day, one of the disc-jockeys announces his engagement to a specific lady over the air. For some reason, he can't just go on the air himself and refute this, and it causes a big headache for him since he's just been voted "one of the top 5 bachelors in Boston". (I swear, if I'd heard that line one more time...) The hero meets the heroine, their families get involved, and there's a huge case of "insta-love". The only thing that saved the story was that the author made the hero out to be a really nice guy. So nice, in fact, that I'd be interested in reading a novel by Judith Arnold just to see if with the proper story length, a better story line can be found.

So overall, just meh.