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Settle Down Now: Revised Part One
Part One of the serialised version of the novel.
Ten years on from the events of Unsettled, Charmaine Donnet, now a billionaire, is in the spotlight in the most humilating way. Her search for Mr Right is turning into a media circus, and Robert Hart is not far off in the horizon...
Part One introduces Charmaine when she learns of Joss’s plans for her, we are left wondering what Joss' ultimate plan for her is really. Meanwhile, Rob is looking for finance for repairs to The Sunflower, and he can't help wondering why the name Charmaine Donnet is so familiar.
Set in South Africa and the Indian Ocean, with echoes of Rob and Charmaine’s previous life in Scotland, Settle Down Now moves from Durban to Richards Bay to the yacht The Sunflower.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2013
1 person want to read
About the author
Leenna Naidoo
31 books20 followersLeenna Naidoo is the author of No Distance To Run, Situation No Win and Here Be Monsters. Born and raised in Durban, Leenna draws her inspiration from real people, real places, world myth and folklore and her travels in Scotland and China. Her work often looks at the trials and tribulations of busy, working women thrown into amazing adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 23, 2015
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. In no way was I compensated for it and it contains only honest thoughts about the story.
This was a quite different read from my usual ones. I would not classify it under one category because it is a mix of romance and mystery. It's a multi genre book and I enjoyed it to my surprise.
The premise of the story was interesting and intriguing though not totally original. Who doesn't love to read about a woman looking for ways to find her Mr.Right? I was sure it would be a fun read. What surprised me was that it also had an air of mystery and suspense to it.
Charmaine was such a sweet lady. She was so open and naive. I think she should have known about Joss earlier. But that spirit of innocence is what endeared her to me. And Robert was the total opposite. He was such a dark person. He had an aura of danger and vengeance around him. I wouldn't agree he is a good match for her. But they fit, kind of. The only thing which I felt was missing or shown less was the romantic chemistry between the two. It was too subtle to almost to none.
As for the supporting cast, they were a wonderful mix and they confused me at the beginning but later on I was able to figure them out bit by bit. Inspite of that, the ending came as a surprise to me where the real antagonists were revealed. The story had few nice twists which kept me turning the pages to know the end.
The story was well written though few terms used was a bit foreign to me. I had to look up the glossary at the end. It was a steady paced novel and held my attention throughout though there were a few places which nearly made my focus to shatter but then something would happen which would abruptly get me back into the spirit of the tale.
Another point which kind of made the reading awkward was the flashback and present alternating views. Though I generally like that kind of POVs, it wasn't done right in this book. The flashbacks felt too brief in each segment. I was left thinking that it was somehow incomplete. After a while, it was a little bit less irksome as I got into the story.
So this was a surprising read since it entertained me with not being a typical romance. I can see myself trying out the author's other books in the future.
My one line review : An atypical romance with a pinch of mystery and suspense which entertains with each incident.
My rating : 3.5/5
My reread factor : 3/5
Floryie
This was a quite different read from my usual ones. I would not classify it under one category because it is a mix of romance and mystery. It's a multi genre book and I enjoyed it to my surprise.
The premise of the story was interesting and intriguing though not totally original. Who doesn't love to read about a woman looking for ways to find her Mr.Right? I was sure it would be a fun read. What surprised me was that it also had an air of mystery and suspense to it.
Charmaine was such a sweet lady. She was so open and naive. I think she should have known about Joss earlier. But that spirit of innocence is what endeared her to me. And Robert was the total opposite. He was such a dark person. He had an aura of danger and vengeance around him. I wouldn't agree he is a good match for her. But they fit, kind of. The only thing which I felt was missing or shown less was the romantic chemistry between the two. It was too subtle to almost to none.
As for the supporting cast, they were a wonderful mix and they confused me at the beginning but later on I was able to figure them out bit by bit. Inspite of that, the ending came as a surprise to me where the real antagonists were revealed. The story had few nice twists which kept me turning the pages to know the end.
The story was well written though few terms used was a bit foreign to me. I had to look up the glossary at the end. It was a steady paced novel and held my attention throughout though there were a few places which nearly made my focus to shatter but then something would happen which would abruptly get me back into the spirit of the tale.
Another point which kind of made the reading awkward was the flashback and present alternating views. Though I generally like that kind of POVs, it wasn't done right in this book. The flashbacks felt too brief in each segment. I was left thinking that it was somehow incomplete. After a while, it was a little bit less irksome as I got into the story.
So this was a surprising read since it entertained me with not being a typical romance. I can see myself trying out the author's other books in the future.
My one line review : An atypical romance with a pinch of mystery and suspense which entertains with each incident.
My rating : 3.5/5
My reread factor : 3/5
Floryie
March 10, 2016
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Settle Down Now is mostly well-written, has a relatively strong female lead, and keeps you guessing with a bit of danger and intrigue. If you like chick lit and are intrigued by the idea of chick lit incorporating a bit of, “Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick,” then perhaps this book is for you.
Check out my full review at: https://raeleighreads.wordpress.com/2...
Settle Down Now is mostly well-written, has a relatively strong female lead, and keeps you guessing with a bit of danger and intrigue. If you like chick lit and are intrigued by the idea of chick lit incorporating a bit of, “Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick,” then perhaps this book is for you.
Check out my full review at: https://raeleighreads.wordpress.com/2...
January 12, 2024
Page turner!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it's a well written booked a combination of romance and suspense. The story is about Charmaine a filthy rich lady who is searching for Mr Right. What's interesting is that the story does not only hover around romance only there is a bit of mystery as we see a few characters in the story dying mysteriously. Charmaine begins her search for a soulmate and at some point they settle for her to do a reality show that will see four men vying for the spot. This was the best part of the book as it felt like I was watching the whole thing on TV. The writer was able to paint vivid pictures. A lot happens while they are shooting the reality, from murder to her discovering that the captain of the yacht is an ex and this throws her off balance. One lesson I learnt from the book is that money cannot buy some of things in life like love, life partners. As rich as Charmaine was not even a reality TV show bought her a soulmate. Highly recommend it to any reader young and old.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it's a well written booked a combination of romance and suspense. The story is about Charmaine a filthy rich lady who is searching for Mr Right. What's interesting is that the story does not only hover around romance only there is a bit of mystery as we see a few characters in the story dying mysteriously. Charmaine begins her search for a soulmate and at some point they settle for her to do a reality show that will see four men vying for the spot. This was the best part of the book as it felt like I was watching the whole thing on TV. The writer was able to paint vivid pictures. A lot happens while they are shooting the reality, from murder to her discovering that the captain of the yacht is an ex and this throws her off balance. One lesson I learnt from the book is that money cannot buy some of things in life like love, life partners. As rich as Charmaine was not even a reality TV show bought her a soulmate. Highly recommend it to any reader young and old.
August 4, 2015
I swoon for romance novels, especially contemporary, and this novel seemed to fit the bill on paper. It was even set in South Africa which seemed like a blast to me. I imagined I’d see a romance unfold in this beautiful, unique setting, while also learning about the culture. The premise is great as well; a contest for Mr. Right. What a great form of entertainment. We get to enjoy how wrong every Mr. Right contestant actually is, while noticing that one guy, who is not in the contest and who Charmaine has always consider Mr. Definitely Wrong, has actually been Mr. Right all along.
Although the story was entertaining, it did not satisfy my romance-loving needs. As a romance reader, the chemistry between Hero and Heroine is the most important part of the story. In this story, our Hero is set up as this terrible, vindictive, and selfish guy. Not much of a Hero, in my opinion. He blamed Charmaine for their troubles in the past, and never got over it. When they meet again, he planned to ruin her, as revenge. Even though he broke her heart. I didn’t feel sexual tension between the two, I didn’t see their need to want to be together, and most importantly, I didn’t see how they would be better together than apart. They didn’t better each other until the very end of the book when all hell broke loose and danger was upon them. That’s the only time I felt our H/H really connected. However, even then, I didn’t have many feels because even though the story was told from Charmaine’s first person POV, she didn’t give us many of her feels either.
I really wanted to get into this story, and sometimes I found that I was, but then almost immediately after I got swept up, the scene was broken up with time hops. The time hops were the most distracting feature in this book. From the beginning of the story, we start in present day. Before we get to know our Heroine very well, there is a scene break with the heading, “Nine and a half years earlier…” If this had happened just once, to set the stage before this time now, I might have been able to get behind it. However, after that scene, it jumped back, “Nine years later…” moving us into present day again. Then it was done with hours earlier, hours later, days later, back nine years again, forward again…. So each time I became invested in the story at hand, I was pulled out of it and throw somewhere else. In a place in time I couldn’t care less about, because I still didn’t know or care about our Heroine. This happened for the majority of the novel, and made it very difficult to follow.
The best thing about an author knowing all of a character’s backstory is that they only need to share with the readers the parts that matter. We don’t need all of it. Heck, we hardly usually need any of it. What we do need should come out organically throughout the novel in bits and pieces. If flashbacks are necessary (although I’m not a fan) then they should play into the present scene and relate somehow. How did X moment right now remind character of X moment in the past? And why does it matter in the story?
I believe our author definitely has talent in story-creating, but I do feel this novel would have benefited from some deep restructuring and revising. I believe that all writers only improve with each novel, so I wish this author all the best in the future projects as I’m sure they will be pleasing to her readers!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Although the story was entertaining, it did not satisfy my romance-loving needs. As a romance reader, the chemistry between Hero and Heroine is the most important part of the story. In this story, our Hero is set up as this terrible, vindictive, and selfish guy. Not much of a Hero, in my opinion. He blamed Charmaine for their troubles in the past, and never got over it. When they meet again, he planned to ruin her, as revenge. Even though he broke her heart. I didn’t feel sexual tension between the two, I didn’t see their need to want to be together, and most importantly, I didn’t see how they would be better together than apart. They didn’t better each other until the very end of the book when all hell broke loose and danger was upon them. That’s the only time I felt our H/H really connected. However, even then, I didn’t have many feels because even though the story was told from Charmaine’s first person POV, she didn’t give us many of her feels either.
I really wanted to get into this story, and sometimes I found that I was, but then almost immediately after I got swept up, the scene was broken up with time hops. The time hops were the most distracting feature in this book. From the beginning of the story, we start in present day. Before we get to know our Heroine very well, there is a scene break with the heading, “Nine and a half years earlier…” If this had happened just once, to set the stage before this time now, I might have been able to get behind it. However, after that scene, it jumped back, “Nine years later…” moving us into present day again. Then it was done with hours earlier, hours later, days later, back nine years again, forward again…. So each time I became invested in the story at hand, I was pulled out of it and throw somewhere else. In a place in time I couldn’t care less about, because I still didn’t know or care about our Heroine. This happened for the majority of the novel, and made it very difficult to follow.
The best thing about an author knowing all of a character’s backstory is that they only need to share with the readers the parts that matter. We don’t need all of it. Heck, we hardly usually need any of it. What we do need should come out organically throughout the novel in bits and pieces. If flashbacks are necessary (although I’m not a fan) then they should play into the present scene and relate somehow. How did X moment right now remind character of X moment in the past? And why does it matter in the story?
I believe our author definitely has talent in story-creating, but I do feel this novel would have benefited from some deep restructuring and revising. I believe that all writers only improve with each novel, so I wish this author all the best in the future projects as I’m sure they will be pleasing to her readers!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews