We all have great break up stories whether you are the dumped or the dumpee. However, I think poor Lola takes the cake and then some. She is dating a prominent politician in Ireland who has been compared to JFK Jr. He is THE most eligible bachelor. One morning she goes to get the paper and splashed on the front page is the announcement, Paddy de Courcy, her boyfriend, is getting married. The girl isn’t even very pretty, they call her horse face. As she sinks deeper and deeper into devastation, she begins making ghastly mistakes in her business and personal life. What girl doesn’t want to camp out on your now ex’s door step until he will explain things to you? After much convincing from her friends, she leaves the city and takes a break. Only to find she has become a safe haven for the local trannies, they take over, and end up having tranny Fridays at her house. Better yet, she even begins to fall for one of them!

Then we meet Marnie who believes her lot in life was to be the depressed twin. She is melancholy and melodramatic. Not to mention an alcoholic who hasn’t yet passed the first step, admitting. She looses her marriage, her job, and even her precious daughters. I kept wanting to reach inside the book and shake her. I wanted to tell her to stop being whiny! Whiny and I just don’t get along. She and Paddy were teenagers in love. She was even more melodramatic as only a teenager can be. She never really got over him.

Then we have Grace, her twin. She is the strong, no nonsense reporter. She is determined to save her sister. She is certainly that loyal friend, you always want on your side. She too has a history with Paddy. Unfortunately her sister, the more beautiful one, Marnie, in the end won him over. Although, a couple years back, she did have another run in with him.

This Paddy guy. The public sees him as charming and charismatic, hence the title, This Charming Man. In Grace’s quest to save her sister, she finds out she isn’t the only one who has been caught in his web. These women find themselves addicted to him, then left battered and beaten, literally. It seems a cigarette burn on the palm of the hand is his signature. All through the book, you get glimpses of the selfish, horrible man Paddy really is. When I read a book, I get involved. I found myself screaming at him. I dated a man just like him, and wish these men would just fall of the earth. Anyways, I will step off my soapbox. If you have ever had an experience with this kind of man, you have to read this book! It is therapeutic in a way.

Marian Keyes is amazing at taking serious and personal subjects, adding in some heart, and sprinkling on some humor. This is one of the reasons I like her books so much. Her characters are people you can imagine in your life, and some you probably know well.

Reading this whole book (563 pages) is worth the last portion where one of Grace’s friends, a prominent politician in the same party, gives it to Paddy. Just as private was his torture of these women, was as public as his consequence. I was laughing and cheering so loud, my husband asked what I was laughing at. It is probably the best ending of a book I have encountered. Dee Rosini sticks it to him! Go get This Charming Man by Marian Keyes to root Rosini on too.

I Shannon am a bookaholic. I have always loved books; however, a couple years ago I realized I’m an addict. My hubby asked that I stop buying so many books and begin to get more familiar with the library. Being the good wife, I obliged. I am allowed at the book store on limited, agreed upon times. I recently was allowed when a book I wanted was on a waiting list so long, it would be a least a year before I would get it. Walking into the store, taking a deep breath, I swear I got a high. All monetary reason left my brain. I couldn’t pass up the bargain section. I found a book, cheap, by one of my all time favorites, David Baldacci called The Collectors.

For me, Baldacci is like curling up with a nice warm bowl of homemade Mac n’ Cheese, pure comfort. When I was young, I would often escape reality with a mystery. Who doesn’t love Trixie Belden or the Hardy Boys?

Four men have formed the Camel Club. Think of them as men who are the conspiracy theory type with good evidence supporting their theories. A couple of the men have shady pasts which hint they might know more than the average person about what goes on behind the closed doors of the government. The men begin to suspect something when the director of the Library of Congress’s rare books room is found dead in the library. He was found by Caleb who is a member of the Camel Club and works in the rare books room. When the men started to be followed, they suspected Jonathan’s death was more than of natural causes. More people turn up dead. One member, Oliver, is tortured. A few times, the members swear someone is trying to kill them. Add into the mix Jonathan’s ex-wife who is a con and is escaping from her biggest con yet. She shows up at the funeral and wants to use her skills to help the men. These men get good use out of their survival skills and crack the biggest spy ring the government has been investigating.

Baldacci always has so many twists and turns, you are kept guessing until the end, and many times to the last page. If you are a fan of CSI/Law and Order type of shows, or the conspiracy theory type yourself, you will love The Collectors.