Miss Match

January 21, 2002
When 35-year-old drama teacher Kathryn Lamb joins her nosy neighbor's dating service, Six in the City, she meets brilliant entrepreneur Walker Hart, the temporary head of Six. He's living in his mother's penthouse and running her company while she's in Europe getting married—or is it divorced?—yet again. Though the two share an undeniable chemistry, Walker's serial-marrying mama has made him the poster boy for confirmed bachelors everywhere, and Kathryn's unwilling to settle for anything less than wedding bells. And so Kathryn embarks on a series of disastrous dates with other men, and Walker remains nearby enough to drive them both crazy. Carroll's debut is precisely what Ivy touts it as—"Chick-lit meets contemporary romance." With its many encounters between the heroine and men other than the hero, this cutesy comedy will appeal more to fans of the former category. However, even chick-lit readers and hip Manhattanites (the book's target readership) will tire of the characters' aimless repartee, which is more scripted than sincere, and the numerous references to the trendy and designer. Despite an obvious allusion to Sex and the City, this dialogue-driven drama isn't likely to hook fans of that series.

May 15, 2002
Saddled with running his free-spirited mother's trendy matchmaking service while she is off on her latest honeymoon, financial analyst and resolute bachelor Walker "Bear" Hart finds his single status in grave danger when quick-witted, re freshingly candid drama teacher Kitty Lamb signs up for the service and totally disrupts his life. Sassy dialog, appealing protagonists, and a generally lively pace carry this story through one disastrous date after another. Squarely aimed at the urban singles market, this sexy, sometimes hilarious romantic comedy offers a happy ending that puts it firmly in the romance camp, but it is also brash, smart, and unconventional enough to attract a broader readership, as well. Carroll is a native New Yorker and an actress.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.