Better as A Memory by Marilyn Baxter
Excerpt
Max jangled his car keys in his hand as he waited at Victoria’s door. He felt as nervous as a fifteen-year-old on his first date. He wore the gray pants and navy blazer Victoria had approved together with a brilliantly white shirt and a yellow tie with small navy dots. He wiggled his toes in his new black oxfords and marveled at how comfortable they were. True to her word, Victoria had steered a wide berth around wing tips and had showed him that style and comfort were not mutually exclusive.
He knocked a second time and nervously straightened his tie. And when she finally opened the door and he got his first glimpse of her, he let out a low whistle. His gut told him he would have a hard time keeping his hands off her.
And hard was the operative word as his body twitched below his belt. The black dress had a ruffled skirt that skimmed her knee. The V neckline teased at her cleavage but left plenty to the imagination. Simple sapphire and diamond earrings sparkled as they caught the light, and he saw a matching bracelet circling her wrist. While her high-heeled shoes were plain, they made her legs seem as if they went on forever. And when she bent to pick up her purse from a table beside the door, he caught a glimpse of her black lacy bra and gritted his teeth in an effort to will his body to cooperate.
This might be a very long and very frustrating night.
After taking her arm and helping her negotiate the steps down to the drive, he held her purse and wrap while she settled into the passenger side of his SUV. She had certainly taken her own advice to heart. She was stylish and understated, but he wasn’t so sure her classic beauty wouldn’t make her stand out like a diamond among pieces of coal.
They chatted about mundane things for most of the drive to his parents’ estate, but when he turned into the long drive lined by towering pines, he posed a question. “Are you okay with me introducing you tonight as my image consultant? I mean, that won’t make you feel like…well, you know.” He was at a loss for words.
“What you are trying to ask is if I’ll be insulted if people think I am your employee.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, you’re not, but in this crowd, that’s liable to be what people assume. I was just thinking you might drum up a little business when people see how you turned the beast into Prince Charming.”
“Too bad I didn’t tame his raging ego, too.”
“Touché.”
Victoria laughed, and once again Max had to scold his misbehaving libido.
My Review of Better as a Memory by Marilyn Baxter
At only 96 pages, Better as a Memory by Marilyn Baxter makes for a quick, easy beach read. There isn’t much angst and the characters are likeable and have redeeming qualities.
For those that like second chance romance with a happily ever after, check this one out. Seven years after Max runs off, he returns to run the family business. With a little creative maneuvering from his mom, his ex-girlfriend becomes his image consultant.
Victoria is the ex, and she has been keeping a secret. Like I said, there isn’t much angst and things move rather quickly for our couple but all the secrets come out and Max finally realizes what life could be like. Better as a Memory is a sweet, second-chance romance for the romantic in all of us. It reads at a good pace and honestly did not take that long to read. I wish there was a little more between the end of the story and the Epilogue, but that’s just me. This is a complete story with a happily ever after.
★ ★ ★ ★ Stars
- Max as a BBF: ★ ★ ★ ★
- Hotness Level: ★ ★ ★
- Swoon Level: ★ ★ ★
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About the Author
In 2001, Marilyn discovered Romance novels quite by accident, which led to a renewed interest in writing. She started out by writing fanfiction about Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Superman, which developed into a desire to write about her own characters. She’s had over forty short stories published in the confessions and Romance magazines.
Also, she has taught a class in how to effectively write for this genre and worked as a researcher and copy editor for several Romance authors. All this combined to give her a great love of the Romance genre and helped develop a multitude of friendships in the Romance community.
She’s a member of Romance Writers ofAmerica, as well as her local chapter, Heart of Dixie. In addition to reading, Marilyn loves to knit (as long as it’s only a scarf), cook (in the crockpot), garden (in a couple of pots on her patio), and her motto is “Have passport, will travel.” She’d love to add to the list of 32 states and 21 foreign countries she’s already visited.
After raising two great sons, she loves to spoil… er… dote on her two granddaughters.
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