BARBIE AND THE BEAST
Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Company, Incorporated. Pub. Date: March 2009
ISBN-13: 9780505528131
304pp
I followed this book in the American Title contest, rooted for it because it was so much fun! Thus, I was glad to see Dorchester Publishing had finally picked it up and put it out so everyone could find how the rest of the book went. It’s a charming, light-hearted story, one that gives you smiles to reach through your whole body to your heart. I’ve been recently told by a doctor to laugh and smile often, that it’s vital to your health - so reading Barbie and the Beast is like taking a bottle of high potency vitamins.
Barbie, as you can imagine, has heard every joke there is about her name and tends to be a little touchy about that. Especially a sore point - there is no “Ken” in her life. She’s a tad uptight after a lifetime of ribbing, thus it’s highly unusual to find her trekking through Forest Lawn Cemetery for a singles party. Yet, that is precisely what she’s doing. She and her best friend, Angie, have made a pact to try anything to find Mr. Right. Why not a singles mixer at graveside? One minute everything is normal - well, as normal as one can expect in trying to find pick up dates amongst the dead and buried. The next, Barbie finds herself picked up - and tossed over a man’s shoulder! Being typically female she’d hoped to get swept off her feet, but not quite so literally!
Darin Russell is everything a woman might hope for in a boyfriend - and a bit more. He’s also been looking for Ms. Right, and the animal in him is stirred by Barbie, so he makes his moves to claim her. However, Darin has a few secrets he must reveal to Barbie that might see that “true love never runs smooth.”
Ms. Thomas-Sundstrom gives you an intelligently witty tale, with sparkling characters and an absolutely fun read. So do yourself a favor, read this book and give your health a shot in the arm!
