All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

Summary:
One Happily-Ever-After Rocking Chair…

and no sign of any forthcoming babies to rock in ol' Georgebury, Vermont. For Callie Grey, turning thirty means coming to grips with the fact that her boss (and five-week fling) is way overdue in his marriage proposal. And way off track because Mark has suddenly announced his engagement to the company's new Miss Perfect. If that isn't bad enough, her mom decides to throw her a three-oh birthday bash in the family funeral home.

Bad goes to worse when she stirs up a crazy relationship with the town's not so warm and fuzzy veterinarian, Ian McFarland, in order to flag Mark's attention. So Ian is more comfortable with animals…. So he's formal, orderly and just a bit tense. The ever-friendly, fun-loving and spontaneous Callie decides it's time for Ian to get a personality makeover. But dang, if he doesn't shock the heck out of her, she might actually fall for Vermont's unlikeliest eligible bachelor…. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I ususally don't read mass-market romances, but I must say that I'm glad I picked up All I Ever Wanted. This book is just so darn cute. It's like a lighter, girlier, funnier, better Nicholas Sparks book, which makes it pretty awesome.

Some people might be turned off by this, but I adored the quirkiness of the characters, especially Callie. She is so relatable and is always getting herself into funny situations. Especially when she tries online dating. But I digress. Callie's family owns a funeral parlor and she lives with her grouchy, but loving, grandfather whom she calls by his first name. This is definitely non-traditional, but I liked it.

The romance aspect of All I Ever Wanted is VERY predictable. The summary basically tells you who Callie ends up. I didn't mind so much, though. The writing and dialogue is enough to keep you wanting to read more even if you have the plot all figured out. Plus, with all the wacky characters, there was plenty of laughs along the way.

I really enjoyed All I Ever Wanted and even though it is a "romance" novel, it has a lot more going for it than just some hot guys.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library.

2010/Harlequin/318 pages.