Sandy M’s review of The Ring by Sandi Lynn
Contemporary Romance published by Sandi Lynn Romance 20 Sep 19
It was the simplicity of the title and cover of this book that drew my attention. Then the blurb added to the intrigue and I decided to give The Ring a try. This is my first book by Sandi Lynn. She’s got a load of books in her backlist, and she’s self-published those books, a number of them in a year’s time here and there. I’m thinking self-publishing isn’t for everyone.
I do like the characters in this story. Adalyn is on vacation with her boyfriend when she finds a ring while scuba diving. It’s a gorgeous diamond ring with a lovely inscription. Once they return from their trip, Adalyn’s life begins to fall apart – she’s fired, her guy dumps her, and then her apartment building burns down. She then discovers all those bad things happened because she’s in possession of the ring – she needs to either get rid of it or find the true owner. She opts for the latter, and within a short time finds herself in New York where the jeweler who created the ring is still in business. However, her bad luck is still on the move when she doesn’t get any helpful info and is at a loss on what to do next, when she’s saved from being run down on a New York street.
Her rescuer is the same man she saw the night before, being dumped by his girlfriend over flowers. Well, mostly. Because of who Harrison Grant is – wealthy jerk, asshat – any other title you’d like to choose – he doesn’t start out as a favorite character. You do find out he has his reasons for shunning relationships, and they are very emotional ones. He’d like to get to know Adalyn better, and she is definitely drawn to him, but he continues to be the lousy jerk he’s been for years. What Adalyn also learns is the ring belongs to Harrison’s grandmother. She’s introduced to Mary and also his sister, Athena. Those three women get along famously, and Mary invites Adalyn to stay in New York as her guest.
By a quirk of fate, I guess you could say, Adalyn is an interior designer and it just so happens Harrison is looking for one of those to remodel his newly purchased townhouse. Athena hires her, giving Harrison and Adalyn reason to be around each other and eventually end up in bed. I so wish those love scenes would have been a bit more. That’s where we get to know the real Harrison most of all, despite the fact his attitude continues on till near the end of the book. I held out hope he would be groveling quite a bit at the end. He does, to a point. Not enough to suit me, even though he comes clean about his rude orneriness. He does, however, step up to the plate when all cards finally on the table, so that is a plus in his favor.
Despite all of this I do like, what keeps my grade at the midline is the writing. That’s why I mentioned Ms. Lynn’s backlist at the beginning of my review. With so many books published,over the last five-plus years, I’d think her writing would be a bit better. Dialogue, in particular. There are times when conversation just doesn’t flow well, making reading awkward. But all of the characters are enjoyable, even cranky Harrison, when they do speak like regular folks. I also wanted more of an ending with Athena and her new-found beau, Pete. There’s nothing on the author’s site to indicate whether there will be more books with these people, so I may have to be satisfied with their non-ending. Overall, an okay read and I may try another of Ms. Lynn’s stories down the road.
Grade: C+
Summary:
Adalyn
It all started with a ring. A beautiful ring I found at the bottom of the ocean while scuba diving on vacation. From the moment the ring was in my possession, bad luck followed me everywhere and turned my entire life upside down.
On the inside of the band there was an inscription: To my darling Mary. My soulmate for eternity.
After a string of tragic events, the ring led me to New York hoping to return it to its rightful owner. That’s where I met Harrison Grant. The man who swooped in and saved me from my near brush with death on the busy streets of New York City. He was handsome, rich, arrogant and unavailable emotionally. The last thing I wanted was any further contact with him. But by the hand of fate, the two of us were thrown together into a working relationship. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse since I’d lost everything after finding the ring. My name is Adalyn Banks, and this is my story of how one ring changed my life forever.
Harrison
I was living my life the way I wanted by being successful, rich, and dating a multitude of beautiful women whenever I wanted. I wasn’t tied down in a relationship, and I didn’t answer to anybody but myself. Then I met Adalyn Banks. A woman who almost got run down in the middle of the busy New York City street. She was beautiful and innocent. The short time I spent with her, I felt a pull that I’d never felt before. I got away from her as fast as I could, and just when I thought it was safe, my sister hired her as my interior designer for the new townhome I purchased. I blamed the ring. If she never would have found it, she never would have come to New York, and I wouldn’t be fighting the demons inside me I never had to fight before. My name is Harrison Grant, and this is my story of how one woman and a ring changed my life forever.
No excerpt available.
