Title: Calendar Girl
Author: Naomi Neale
Published in 2006 by Dorchester Publishing
Genre: Chick lit
ISBN: 0505-52661-1
Other Books by Naomi: The Mile High Hair Club, I Went To Vassar for This? Shop 'Til Yule Drop, Method Man
Nan Cloutier is certain since she can grab holiday jobs that she will make the model calendar girl pin-up. Her temporary job in New York City has her posing as a Cindy-Lou at the Merrier-Iverson Department Store Christmas interactive display, making a mere $7.75 an hour while hundreds arrive to allow their children to sit on Christmas Grinch’s lap that meant she had to be simply nice to everyone. After all, the evil overlords of Who-ville demanded essential cheeriness. When a little girl, who speaks French, wishes to speak to Santa, an interrupter is needed to give the message to Santa. Nan quickly lies saying she speaks proficient French, anything to get her out of window duty. The child is so happy to be able to converse with Santa, and Nan is beaming with joy, but it soon turns to a frown when Mr. Iverson, the store owner, falls and breaks his leg, and she feels responsible. No longer one of the Seasonal Staffers, after being canned, she gets another job by Mr. Andrew Iverson, as a baby-sitter for Colm, his grandson.
Nan knows after the holidays are completely over she will still need money, so she decides to accept Mr. Iverson’s job offer. She is surprised to find that Colm is her age and more shocked to learn he believes she is a hooker. She tells Andrew Iverson there is not enough money for her to accept that job. But Mr. Iverson assures her he never meant anything of the like. He only wishes to find someone for Colm, so playing a matchmaker, he decided to bring them together. Nan feels she cannot give a hundred percent to any relationship with Colm since her former boyfriend; Damien Morris seems to be having some issues and keeps coming to her for help. Still she can’t get Colm out of her mind, and one thing is certain, his kisses are far better than the ones that she once shared with Damien.
Colm Iverson is an artist, a painter, who believes that Nan is a hooker at first, a very cute one, in fact, until he learns his grandfather chose Nan for other reasons. He wishes his grandson to find happiness and not be alone. Perhaps they are good for each other, who knows, but first he intends on courting Nan to see if she is really the one person for him. He can tell that Nan has other problems weighing on her but he will not stop his wooing, especially when love bites and he finds himself falling for her.
It appears that Nan’s life finds some bumps and grinds as she goes from one job to another. At the age of twenty-eight, she always figured by the time she reached twenty-five she would have that fabulous fancy life in Manhattan, and all her dreams would finally become a reality. But she sees now that sometimes dreams do not always happen for everyone. The temp jobs don’t seem to be putting enough icing on any cake to give her the luxuries she so desires. Being part of the Elizabethan Failures Society, in which she shares much with her friends, she is always told that she should do something to make her happy. Everyone knows that she is not content and her ex, Damien, has an ego that is too heady. Her friends feel she can find someone better than a self-centered guy who has wandering eyes for another instead of Nan. Now they insist she stop her insistent whining and find something and someone to make her happy, making her dreams come true. She feels perhaps with Colm she has found that one person to make things click but whether she is strong enough to keep the ties tightly bound into a relationship will be one she must ensue if she wishes to keep Colm in her life.
Calendar Girl is one of those chick-lit reads that has humor, mixed emotions, ups and downs, and a heroine that makes the book click with some interesting excitement. Nan has so many things going on in her life with her ex, her family, and her jobs that spin some complicated moments for her yet deliver some great action that keeps the reader focused. I could almost feel Nan’s reactions when she thought of the way she wanted it to be with Damien then how being with Colm was really something far better that she had longed for all these years. Her antics with her jobs are hilarious especially with the Who-Ville. I could almost see her expression when she met Colm and he mentioned about her being a cute hooker. I enjoyed the courting part of their relationship and kept my fingers crossed that she would finally discover they were meant to be an item and just drop Damien who really showed how egotistical he could be.
Naomi Neale sketches some realistic characters, a comical blend of antics and wonderful dialogue that keeps the story moving at a steady pace. She makes Nan a real person doing brainless things like most of us at one time or another do. With some great situations that pull at the heartstrings and engages the reader until the last page, this is one terrific book that is wonderfully amazing with heart and soul. Why not grab a copy today and take a delightful trip to Nan’s world where you will meet a great cast of characters that keep the smiles coming at: www.dorchesterpub.com, where the hip hop sass will strike a chord in the heart.
Sincerely good reading,
Linda
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