Early Review of Heartstrings and Diamond Rings by Jane Graves

• Title: Heartstrings and Diamond Rings
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Format: Paperback, 448 pages
• Publisher: Forever (September 27, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0446568481
• ISBN-13: 978-0446568487
• Author's Website: http://www.janegraves.com/

You know the old saying, "If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all?" Well, when it comes to dating that pretty much sums up Alison Carter's love life. On a recent date with her boyfriend of 8 months, all the signs seemed to indicate it would be the night he'd propose. She'd seen him in a jewelry store, she'd overheard him talking with a minister, she'd seen a travel brochure on his desk, and he'd taken her to a pricey restaurant. Truth be told, he did propose something, but marriage was not it. It was a ménage à trois. She couldn't say goodbye fast enough. If you think that was her worst date, you'd better think again. It was like the dating Gods had it in for her.

When a friend recommended Alison try a dating service, she decided to give dating another try. She figured she didn't have anything to lose. They couldn't do any worse, right?

Brandon Scott flipped realestate, or at least he did till the market bottomed out. When his grandmother passed away he inherited her matchmaking business. Trying to raise money for his next project, he decided to use the matchmaking business to fund his endeavor. His plan was simple - advertise, get new customers, set them up on some dates, make a tidy profit, then close the business and get the heck out of Dodge, er, Plano. He thought it'd be easy. He had no clue what he was getting into, and he'd never met the likes of Alison.

This was such a fun read. I was laughing and grinning practically the whole time I was reading this book. So many bad dates and the situations, while seemingly unreal, strangely enough are not that far fetched. I knew someone with the same issues as the "conflicted" date. You'll have to read the book to find out which date I'm talking about. I don't want to spoil it for you. 

Bradon was a fun character. An extremely handsome man with a commitment phobia. Exactly the wrong type of person to run a dating service. I liked learning about his family and background, which allowed us a glimpse of what made him the way he was. I liked how he tried to deny his feelings for Alison, in part, because he didn't think he was the right guy for her. He didn't want to settle down and have a family, but knew she did.

Alison's bad luck was so funny. Someone who by all rights should have met "the one" ages ago, but somehow the man had eluded her. I loved her perseverance in the face of such tragic circumstances. You couldn't help but sympathize with her. 

There were so many fun elements to the story it'd be difficult to list them all. I liked the fact that Alison worked for a candy company and that her cats were named after characters from the 'I Love Lucy' show. It made me think of that funny episode at the candy factory where the candy is going down the conveyor belt too fast, so they try to eat the candy to prevent it from falling on the ground. There was no such scene in the book, but it still brought the scene to mind. In a way, Alison's dating escapades reminded me of the kind of situations I could envision Lucy finding herself in if she were dating. 

On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a Fan rating - the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice. Overall, I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses. A very fun and enjoyable read.