Courting Claudia by Robyn Dehart ***
An acceptable debut novel, but merely average as a story
Claudia Prattley is a... zaftig... heroine who illustrates for Derrick Middleton's newspaper (for the society pages). She's going to quit, but Derrick can't have that, since she's the whole reason his paper's popular. So... in an effort to keep her from getting married, he decides to court her himself. Of course, he's really, really attracted to her, so he compromises her, and the courtship suddenly becomes real.
Having read other books by Robyn DeHart prior to this one (A Study in Scandal, Tempted at Every Turn, Deliciously Wicked), I know that the author is capable of better work. I'm not sure if this has colored my ability to adequately appreciate this story. While this book isn't bad, it's not great. The characters are stereotypical in a lot of ways, and their insecurities are a bit overdone.
Having Claudia be a larger woman ("fleshy" as she puts it) is a nice touch, and that the handsome and successful Derrick is attracted to her is also sweet. However, the constant references to Claudia's size, her repeated hesitance to allow Derrick to touch her in an intimate setting, his continual need to reassure her, makes her more human, yes, but also gets tiring. We get it -- she's big. She hides her body with ruffles (which, of course, only serves to make her look ridiculous). She can't believe that Derrick finds her attractive. She is browbeaten and cowed by her domineering and uncaring father. She is willing to stay with and eventually marry a man who clearly doesn't desire her and seems to actively dislike her. This is not the type of heroine that makes us root for her -- she's the kind of heroine that we feel sorry for.
Derrick is a little easier to like. He's honorable and honest (mostly) and he likes Claudia the way she is, large and all. But he's so typical. The troubled relationship, the avowed bachelor, the uncontrolled lust. All of it is just a little bit too much of a cardboard cut-out for the average romance hero. His "secret" is fairly obvious and beyond lust I'm not sure what exactly Derrick finds so endearing in Claudia.
This author's later books are better written and more compelling. This novel is an acceptable first effort, but I would really only recommend it to someone who likes this author and wants to read more of her work. I doubt that this book will gain her any new fans, although I also doubt that it will put anyone off of her work entirely.
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