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Love Bug
Running a dating agency is not perhaps the most logical career step for a woman who has sworn off romance. But for Laurel Page it's perfect - old-fashioned, civilized, safe - she only wishes the quiet life wasn't so, well, quiet. Maybe Laurel should be more careful what she wishes for.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
55 people want to read
About the author
Zoë Barnes
43 books14 followersDid you know ...?
Zoë was born near Liverpool, but is a real mixed bag! Her mum is Manx and her dad is from Yorkshire. She now lives in Cheltenham, where her novels are set.
She is also a French translator, and translates novels by Christian Jacq (author of the Ramses series) under the pen-name of Sue Dyson.
She was named 'Secretary of the Year' in 1987, although she wasn't actually working as a secretary at the time!
When not writing or translating, she works as a singer.
At the moment she has three cats: Domino, Pizza and Jupiter. Unfortunately, Jupiter's favourite foods are Sellotape and glue, and he enjoys chewing the corners off library books.
The only animals she really doesn't like are cockroaches. And it's not their fault they're creepy.
She loves chocolate, but it makes her ill. Sadly, green vegetables are perfectly safe. There is no justice.
There is no such thing as a Javanese Yellow Skunk. But there ought to be.
Zoë died on October 30th 2009 after taking an overdose.
Zoë was born near Liverpool, but is a real mixed bag! Her mum is Manx and her dad is from Yorkshire. She now lives in Cheltenham, where her novels are set.
She is also a French translator, and translates novels by Christian Jacq (author of the Ramses series) under the pen-name of Sue Dyson.
She was named 'Secretary of the Year' in 1987, although she wasn't actually working as a secretary at the time!
When not writing or translating, she works as a singer.
At the moment she has three cats: Domino, Pizza and Jupiter. Unfortunately, Jupiter's favourite foods are Sellotape and glue, and he enjoys chewing the corners off library books.
The only animals she really doesn't like are cockroaches. And it's not their fault they're creepy.
She loves chocolate, but it makes her ill. Sadly, green vegetables are perfectly safe. There is no justice.
There is no such thing as a Javanese Yellow Skunk. But there ought to be.
Zoë died on October 30th 2009 after taking an overdose.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 24, 2018
Ich habe es nach ca. 50 Seiten abgebrochen. Einfach nur stinklangweilig.
August 8, 2017
Considering how many chick-lit novels seem to revolve around finding love, in the physical if not the emotional sense in some cases, it seems surprising that Zoe Barnes “Love Bug” is the first I’ve found set inside a dating agency. Because running a dating agency is what Laurel Page has just starting doing as her new job, despite having sworn off men after a recent romantic disaster. Perhaps she is hoping that ensuring other people are matched up will help distract her from the fact she no longer is, or maybe it’s the rules placed on her by the owner of the company that will require sufficient effort to keep her mind away from other things.
The background is quite interesting, with the usual office politics and the added complication of office romances to deal with. Indeed, at some points, it seems that the staff should probably also be the customers. Some of Laurel’s staff are happy with the way things are, but others think it is time the business progressed, but the restrictions Laurel is working under prevent this, but her inability to explain those restrictions to those colleagues who think the business needs to evolve causes some ructions.
Whilst the setting is different, sadly some of the other ideas built around it are less unusual, almost to the point of being clichés. There is the former best friend who ran off with Laurel’s ex-fiance and suddenly appears back in her life as if nothing had happened and then, predictably, falls for the same man as Laurel. These are mixed in with other characters who are so strange as to be unbelievable, such as the man they both fall for who turns out to have a rather interesting second job.
This combination of new ideas and clichés makes the whole reading experience a little unbalanced. Just when it feels like there might be something worth reading, it’s mixed in with an idea so hackneyed that it almost feels like you’ve already read it and not knowing whether what you’re about to get on the next page is real gold or Fool’s Gold is somewhat unsettling. There’s enough different here for it to be worth giving a try, but not enough that you would want to read it again.
The background is quite interesting, with the usual office politics and the added complication of office romances to deal with. Indeed, at some points, it seems that the staff should probably also be the customers. Some of Laurel’s staff are happy with the way things are, but others think it is time the business progressed, but the restrictions Laurel is working under prevent this, but her inability to explain those restrictions to those colleagues who think the business needs to evolve causes some ructions.
Whilst the setting is different, sadly some of the other ideas built around it are less unusual, almost to the point of being clichés. There is the former best friend who ran off with Laurel’s ex-fiance and suddenly appears back in her life as if nothing had happened and then, predictably, falls for the same man as Laurel. These are mixed in with other characters who are so strange as to be unbelievable, such as the man they both fall for who turns out to have a rather interesting second job.
This combination of new ideas and clichés makes the whole reading experience a little unbalanced. Just when it feels like there might be something worth reading, it’s mixed in with an idea so hackneyed that it almost feels like you’ve already read it and not knowing whether what you’re about to get on the next page is real gold or Fool’s Gold is somewhat unsettling. There’s enough different here for it to be worth giving a try, but not enough that you would want to read it again.
February 2, 2012
This is an interesting book and definitely not what I was expecting! There are a bunch of twists that you don't see coming, making it even more intriguing. And the book isn't just about Laurel Page, but about everyone else who works in the marriage bureau.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews