cover image Heartbreak Hotel

Heartbreak Hotel

Aneta Cruz. Black Opal, $11.99 trade paper (286p) ISBN 978-1-62694-060-4

Cruz (The Guardian) tries and fails to bring a literary sensibility to contemporary romance. Kara, a young woman desperate for love, is confused and self-absorbed. Freshly graduated from hospitality school in Czechoslovakia, Kara joins the ranks of the desk clerks at one of Prague’s finest hotels. Blending in with a wide cast of likewise single co-workers, she fumbles from club to bed and from relationship to obsessive crush over the next several months, rarely settling for long with any one man or friend. Her most elusive hope is a romantic kiss in the center of the Charles Bridge. Kara’s single-minded focus on sex, virginity, and relationships gives an adolescent tone to her epic quest to find Mr. Right (Now), overwhelming the pleasant prose. Her occasional charming sweetness and the interesting but underdeveloped supporting cast aren’t quite enough to overcome a one-track plot and murky ending. [em](BookLife) [/em]