"Nice" isn't a word often used to describe a book, but in the case of this solidly plotted, staid story, it's a fitting adjective.
As people on blind dates soon learn, however, "nice" doesn't mean intriguing or stirring, and Wolf's newest foray into the contemporary romance arena (after Silverbridge) is neither. Single mother Kate Foley, who works from dawn to dusk keeping her stable in the black and mothering her adoptive son, Ben, has little room in her life for romance until Yankees star pitcher Daniel Montero appears in her riding ring upon learning that Ben is the son he never knew he had. Suspicious of Daniel's wealth and charm, Kate is reluctant to let him into her well-ordered life but concedes that Ben deserves to know his father. The constant interjection of the characters' thoughts, sometimes stretching over several paragraphs, disrupts any sense of intimacy Wolf means to build between her characters. As a result, Kate and Daniel seldom touch the reader's heart as they meander toward love. The happily-ever-after in romances is never in doubt; the fun is in getting there. But this tame tale loses this edge somewhere along the way, leaving readers with a serviceable but uninspiring read. (Feb.)
