Shannon C.’s review of Never Too Old by Carol Lynne
Contemporary romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 15 Aug 08

Well, now I can say that I’ve read a Carol Lynne book. That may be the nicest thing I have to say in this whole entire review. I’ve read it and I don’t wish to ever have the experience again.

As the title suggests, Never Too Old is about an older man and his much younger lover. The way the book carries on about Joe’s age, I half expect him to start reminiscing about his days hanging out with Fred and Barney at the slate quarry in Bedrock. Sadly, this did not happen. However, lest the reader forget about Joe’s age, we are reminded that he is 56. He has a 56-year-old cock. Having sex with 26-year-old Holly will probably cause a heart attack. Are you getting the idea that there’s an age difference that the characters have to deal with? Because I’m not sure I am, yet.

Holly is fairly blah. Since this is obviously part of a series, I suspect she got introduced in some other book you could not pay me to read, and so she comes across as very flat, a vessel for Joe’s sexual urges. There is some guy who’s been stalking her though, although his motivations for doing so don’t really carry enough weight, and the suspense subplot, instead of ratcheting up tension, just seems to bog things down even more.

The writing style in general also bugged me. I felt it was very superficial, with characters roughly sketched in instead of fully developed. The result was that I didn’t particularly care about any of these people or their issues, and the romance (and, consequently, the many, many sex scenes) was just boring.

I think this could have actually been a decent story, if written by a different author. Possibly one who thought more about character motivations and consistency, and one who knew how to write a suspenseful subplot. Since that is not the case here, the best that can be said for the book is that it is boring. At its worst, it is laughably bad.

Grade: F

Summary:
This book features characters from Necklace of Shame, though it can be read as a stand-alone.

A widower of ten years, fifty-six-year-old Joe is finally interested in a woman besides his late wife. The problem is, Holly is twenty-six years old. Joe knows Holly is attracted to him but the age difference seems too much to overcome.

To Holly, small-town doctor Joe has always seemed like the perfect man. She’s spent her life looking for someone who could measure up to him. Despite their age difference, Holly finds Joe to be the sexiest man in town, and Holly is ready to unleash her fantasies with him.

Joe has his own fantasies. Despite his misgivings, he’s ready to explore the sensual side of himself with Holly. He just hopes her heart is in it as much as his own.

Read an excerpt.