cover image THE SIDE OF THE ANGELS

THE SIDE OF THE ANGELS

Christina Bartolomeo, . . Scribner, $23 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-7432-0461-3

An engaging cast of characters sometimes finds itself muddling through an unfocused plot in Bartolomeo's second novel. Like her first romantic comedy, the acclaimed Cupid and Diana, her sophomore effort features a fractious Catholic clan in Washington, D.C., and a feisty 30-ish heroine beset by two completely opposite men. In this case, it's clear from the beginning that Nicky Malone, a tough-talking red-haired PR agent, will reunite with "the man who got away," charismatic union organizer Tony Boltanski, while they work on a nurse's strike in Rhode Island. But the political strafing of the campaign overwhelms the novel's more interesting subplots, including a thwarted romance between Nicky's cousins, Louise and Johnny (who are not related by blood), which is heartfelt but problematic: even though Johnny loves Louise, he is engaged to someone else. Nicky wants them matched—partly to get Louise off her back about her own love life—but the strike takes her so far off-scene that the plot thread gets lost. Sarcastic wit (quite a bit of which Nicky directs toward her meddling mother) and abundant charm propel the novel to its somewhat rushed conclusion, but some readers may get lost in long expository passages and the thicket of labor infighting at the novel's core. Agent, Henry Dunow. (May)

Forecast: Cupid and Diana was a New York Times Notable book, which will assure visibility among reviewers. Readers looking for romantic fiction with some substance should also take notice.