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Pages: 45
Goes Well With: A hearty burger, an ice-cold beer, and a whiskey chaser (but only if you don’t have to go back to work after lunch)
Romances tend to favor the young. Most romantic heroines are young and pretty and vibrant—free of things like wrinkles and age spots and unsightly roots. But, in her short romance, Don’t Say Goodnight, Irene, author Gabriella Lucas shows that you don’t have to be in your 20s to struggle with love.
When her friends, Aggie and Sam, return from their extended honeymoon in Africa, retired detective Irene Rohan doesn’t have the same glow that she had when they left—because she and the love of her life, Ted, have called it quits.
Slowly, reluctantly, Irene tells her tale of heartache: that, throughout their relationship, she was working with the FBI, who suspected Ted and his brother, Mike, of mob activity. And while she was bugging his phone, trying to find information that she hoped would clear his name, she discovered that he was cheating on her with his pretty young barmaid. Still, Irene misses Ted—so when he comes to her with an unbelievable story, she wants to believe him.
Don’t Say Goodnight, Irene definitely isn’t the typical short romance. For starters, the characters aren’t the usual romantic leads. They aren’t naïve young girls with flowing blonde hair and tough young guys with bulging muscles who are building careers and managing social lives while trying to navigate their first loves. Instead, the characters here are mature adults who know what they want—both out of life and out of a partner. They’ve lived their lives and followed their dreams, and now they’re enjoying new love in their retirement. It’s a refreshingly different take on the usual romance—and it makes for a charming read.
The story, meanwhile, is more than just the usual romantic fluff. In addition to Irene’s tale of love gone wrong, there’s a touch of mystery and a little bit of suspense, too, as readers wonder what Ted is really up to—and whether he can be trusted.
The problem, however, is a common one with stories this short: there simply isn’t enough room to cover it all. While Irene, Aggie, and Sam are all likable characters, they’re barely developed. It would be nice to know just a little more about their histories: who they are, where they came from, and how they ended up where they are. And Ted is even more of a mystery (and not always a good one, either). He is, after all, a pretty suspicious character—one who isn’t above breaking and entering and holding the woman he supposedly loves at gunpoint to get her attention—and while Irene seems eager to believe him, readers won’t find it quite as easy.
In the end, Don’t Say Goodnight, Irene feels like a good start to something. The characters are likable, and the story is intriguing, but the whole thing could use a little more development. And when it comes to an end, you’ll feel as if you’ve just read the first couple of chapters of a romantic thriller—not the whole thing.
