It's the ultimate question for Anna Carmichael, whose work as a garden historian makes her as happy as her love life makes her miserable. And the men she's meeting these days do nothing to simplify the situation: Oliver Davenport, the magnetic, stylish grandson of a rich client, sweeps Anna off her feet with high-octane dates and a jet-setting schedule, while Will Sutton, dead-sexy gardener at the client's country estate, pursues Anna with more primal pleasures. With all the charm and heat of a modern Lady Chatterley's Lover , Nice Girls Do is sexy and satisfying fiction.
I thought this novel was wonderful! The plot and character development are more in-depth than most chick lit - as a matter of fact, I would classify this as a literary romance novel. As the other two reviewers noted, you do have to think a little while reading this novel. It's the literary equivalent of a six layer torte, whereas regular chick lit is more like a twinkie. Not that there's anything wrong with twinkies, but the torte is so much richer and more satisfying. Nice Girls Do has humor, sex, psychology, garden history, interesting characters, including a protagonist who is thoughtful and insightful, if a bit unsure of herself and her self-worth. This novel is full of allusions to historical gardens, mythology and symbolism, but I don't think it goes overboard. The protagonist is a garden historian and the garden central to the book is a reflection of her growth as a person and the setting for her romance and redemption. The reader is led down the garden path, so to speak, of "will she or won't she" choose the right man? This is really a satisfying read and I would urge anyone bored by the garden history to either skim over it, or do what I like to do and google some of the gardens or history to really get into the character's head. The love story is the real heart of the book, though, and it is as satisfying as any romance novel I've read. Great book!
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