GRR Reviews From the Moment We Met (A St. Helena by Marina Adair

From the Moment We Met started out as slapstick humiliation comedy, then tried to shift into a standard romance with some baggage on both sides. But the chemistry between the MMC and FMC just wasn't there.

Abby DeLuca had designed huge projects for her family, but never on her own. She is going to enjoy her newly found freedom after her husband, who disappeared for 7 years, is legally presumed dead and her divorce was finally granted. Then came the ultimate humiliation... he had specified in his will to dump a larger than life sculpture of him in her yard (destroying her entire garden), in full witness of the OTHER man who broke her heart... Jack Tanner. Tanner and Abby had once been an item, until he went off to his American football career. His retirement brought him back, as a handyman around town... and providing some off-the-books services to the ladies in town. But he's determined to put a smile back on Abby's face, even as Abby found that the town has long memories, and her brothers are out trying to "help" her career as a designer, often to her detriment. When Tanner got his own break, he will have to choose between his heart and his pocketbook.

Frankly, the sculpture gag wore off almost immediately, and it is as if the entire book is about humiliation. Abby was embarrassed about the sculpture, embarrassed about her brothers "helping" her business, embarrassed about her clientele of her design business (design a... doggie room?) and finally, embarrassed about her relationship with Jack, whose off-the-books services aren't something bandied about town. Jack... doesn't really care. This is an uneven relationship.

Category: Contemporary / Comedy

Primary Plot: Handyman in town wants interior designer; she's embarrassed about a lot of things, including his... side jobs

Tropes: handyman, interior designer, different worlds, small town,

Overall Rating:  2/5