cover image Occasional Soulmates

Occasional Soulmates

Kevin Brennan. CreateSpace, $9.99 trade paper (260p) ISBN 978-1-5006-3839-9

Brennan (Parts Unknown) delivers a fairly well-executed take on the traditional romantic comedy. Doctor Sarah Phelan narrates her life as a “relationship novel” (“This is just about the spot where they usually introduce the Love Interest,” she quips) and she’s ready to play the heroine’s part. A quirky backstory involving an ill-advised elopement makes it easy to be on her side, and she’s rewarded early on when love interest Dylan Cakebread shows up right on cue. The romantic relationship takes center stage as Sarah and Dylan attempt to work through the strangeness of a new romance with a few added hurdles such as a mystery illness and a rough trip away together. Sarah has encountered her fair share of struggles (divorce, losing her father, a lifelong fight with her sister), and some startling revelations from Dylan’s brother send her into unfortunately familiar territory. This is mostly easy to breeze through, though the tell-all nature of the narration takes away any opportunities for surprise and the dialogue can sometimes feel unnatural. [em](BookLife) [/em]