Do-Over

by Dorien Kelly

If the gods decided to grant Cara Adams one "do-over," the choice would be a no-brainer�she wouldn't have been sucked in by Mark "the Shark" Morgan. Back in law school, Cara had "dumbed down" to catch Mark's eye. Thanks to her stunt, she lost a plum job at a Wall Street firm, and the Shark is enjoying life in the Big Apple.

Now Cara's thirty and doing just fine, thank you very much. Positive she's a shoo-in for a partnership at her prestigious Michigan law firm, Cara has bought herself a new loft, paid off her student loans and is ready for the success she deserves. But the gods are laughing now. Her ally in the law firm bolts in the middle of the night, her secretary gets fired for using the file room as her own boudoir and…Mark the Shark has come home. Really, the gods must be crazy.

Will Cara go down without a fight? Not this time.

Genres: Romance

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2003

Reviews

[Liz Mc2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 rounded up.

This has been languishing in my TBR for years and I’m glad I finally got to it. It’s sort of enemies-to-lovers, except that the hero never wants to cast himself as the enemy. Mark and Cara were once law school competitors, and she feels that she missed out on a higher-powered career because she didn’t go all out in an interview for law reviewer editor due to her attraction to Mark. Now, he’s been hired into her firm with seniority over her just as she’s about to make partner. It feels like he’s taking her life.

This could be a pretty ugly set-up, but Mark never wants to torpedo Cara’s career and is pretty quick to pick up on the way the firm devalues her, something he never does. They spar, they flirt, they appreciate each other. Cara realizes she needs to change because she’s living the life she “should,” not the one she really wants (Mark changed before he arrived, though how/why is pretty underdeveloped). I thought the book could have dug in more on how Cara changes; the ending is too quick and easy.

The book feels dated in ways I can’t quite put my finger on. Partly it’s the lack of things like texting—it’s from 2003–but I also wonder if this kind of workplace romance in a firm that has a no-fraternization policy just seems less possible to write now. The threat that another associate will use their relationship against them never amounts to anything. I think a lot of writers today would put a different spin on all this, maybe a more overtly feminist edge. But then, Sally Thorne’s Hating Game with its awful workplace behavior was a big hit, so maybe not. (I mostly enjoyed that one as I read but in retrospect....)

I read this on a long plane flight and it was a perfect diversion.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't horrible, but wasn't really likeable either. The story starts out meeting the heroine and I was ready to throw in the towel. Then we meet the hero, and he kept me interested in the story. He was the only character with personality - the heroine fell way flat. The storyline itself was inconsistent and lacked suspense. The romance was really subpar. For a quick read though, it wasn't a bad way to spend time.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book - fun and an easy read - I was however waiting to understand the point of the little snippets of the 'Gods'. I kept waiting for them to be meddlesome and force a day's 'Do Over' - since that was what the book was called.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad ending