Twelve Times Blessed

After reading The Deep End of the Ocean, I have set a high standard for Jacquelyn Mitchard. Unfortunately, this book feel far short of that standard.

The heroine of the book, True, is a very successful woman raising a son and running a very profitable business. Her husband died many years ago and she has crafted a family for herself from the competent employees she surrounds herself with as well as her mother who lives in her guest house. The introduction of a much younger man into her small town complicates her life and she finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance with him which leads to a very sudden marriage.

The problems? True never believes herself worthy of Hank. She is jealous to an extreme and constantly belittling herself. I don't know why Hank stayed with her more than a week. I knew I was supposed to be rooting for them to have a happy, long life together but True convinced me she didn't deserve happiness either. ( )

I have a tough time downgrading one of Mitchard's books, because I generally really like her writing. Her characters are well drawn, but you just want to slap a couple of them 'upside the head!! Our heroine is swept off her feet by a younger man that falls for her hard and fast, but the problems they have are not unexpected. PLUS, he absolutely should have known that what he did was unforgiveable, and he absolutely did not deserve another chance. Loved the characters. Loved the idea of the business she was running. The story itself? Not so much. ( )

The story line lacks the originality and insight into character that is usually seen in Mitchard's books, especially The Deep End of the Ocean and The Most Wanted, and to that extent, Twelve Times Blessed didn't live up to expectations. It's pretty much a standard love the second time round story, except that the protagonist is a good bit older than the new love, resulting in too predictable rocky steps on the relationship pathway. Its strengths, if it has any, are more in the secondary character cameos than in the main cast, especially in members of the lover's Southern family, and how they are perceived by the Cape Cod Northerners. Not nearly as engaging of the reader as Mitchard's earlier books, not quite formula driven but at times perilously close. A pleasant but forgettable read is probably a reasonable assessment. Definitely below Mitchard's usual standard. ( )

I really wanted to like this book because I've liked other of Mitchard's books, but it just seemed to keep going round and round in the same circles and not going anywhere until the last 75 pages or so. ( )

I have enjoyed Mitchard's previous books, and was surprised to find this book did continue with her earlier promise as an author. I thought the characters were not believable, which makes it difficult to care what happens to them. There simply is no depth to this book. I never quite understood the reasons why True and Hank separated. Their utter self absorption was wearying at best and the plot was too thin to hold my interest. It was an effort to keep reading. ( )