Pesto Packing Mama by Nan D. Arnold

THE PAGAN & THE PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title: Pesto Packing Mama
Author: Nan D. Arnold

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Publisher: Champagne Books

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Length: 310 pages

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 2 – the photograph of the red teddy, the teddy bear, and the basil plant was a great idea, but not well executed. The glare in the center gives it an unprofessional quality. I much preferred the snappier cover art shown on Ms. Arnold’s personal website.

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4 – few, but not many, errors.

Story: 5

Writing Ability: 5

Reviewed by: Keri Stratton Alley

About The Book: Maggie Duncan’s love life goes from champagne and delphiniums to revelations of dead wives and dirty diapers in mere days. If that’s not enough, her stare down with a sociopathic loan shark in a caterer’s storeroom makes Maggie wish she hadn’t pushed well-meaning heartthrob Bruce Herring out of her emotional jurisdiction.

The Review: Brenda, Brenda, Brenda! After your spitfire, skin-tight-leather wearing, pistol packing performance in the previous story (Hitting the High Notes) I was sorely disappointed to find out what you were doing with that chef! And behind Big Dad’s back!?!

At first, my love for, and subsequent disappointment in, the ferociously feminine supporting character left me feeling less than thrilled about how Ms. Arnold chose to resume her tales of Maggie’s romantic woes. Yet I could not help but be won over by Ms. Arnold’s adorably realistic sense of humoristic timing, the way in which she portrays Maggie’s oh-so-true inner monologue, and the respect she pays to a real romance. So many romance novel writers leave their characters at the all-too-familiar “…and they lived happily ever after!” ending, without bothering to delve into the kind of commitment, gumption, and fear-tackling it takes to move a relationship from a froofy romance into a solid love. Thank you, Nan, for writing the second portion of Maggie and Bruce’s tumultuous story.

Pesto Packin’ Mama looks at down and dirty real life situations in a hilariously fun setting; friends that have affairs; emotional baggage from previous marriages; negative inner diatribes, miscommunications, mis-expectations, and learning how to trust again. In this world, as in our own realities, love is not simply seeing someone attractive, having great sex, and living happily ever after. Ms. Arnold portrays the realistic struggles of a menopausal widow seeking to establish a trusting relationship after a previously abusive marriage. She somehow manages to keep the necessary poignancy to create a sympathetic character while throwing in visits from an Italian opera star, stalking by a mafia hit man, a sketchy next door neighbor, and a nosy wannabe mother-in-law. A fantastic follow-up to the first novel starring Chef Maggie.

And Brenda, I forgive you.

Pagan Elements: N/A

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