The Playboy's Plain Jane

by Cara Colter

Book Overview

The playboy Good-looking and confi dent, sports hero Dylan McKinnon simply has that indefi nable thing that makes him irresistible to the opposite sex. His plain Jane Florist Katie Pritchard knows all... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373174950
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Harlequin Romance
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.6" x 0.5" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

More like 4 1/2 stars

Katie Pritchard knows what men like Dylan McKinnon are like. In fact, she knows what he is like since he buys his flower bouquets at her shop! There's a pattern to his purchasing and she has no intention of getting caught up in that sort of game. But what happens when Dylan sets his sights on Katie? Will these two learn to look beyond appearances to see the person beneath the exterior? The depth of love portrayed in THE PLAYBOY'S PLAIN JANE was truly incredible. Dylan and Katie have a fear of love, a fear of the pain that the loss of deep and abiding love brings. Both are wounded and in need of healing. There are some scenes near the end of this book that are so powerful they leave me in tears even now to think about them. Katie and Dylan are both focused on appearances and it is beautiful to watch them recognize that it is the inner soul that is most important. As Katie dresses more and more outrageously, trying to hide herself from love, I couldn't help but laughing! Who hasn't had a time they've retreated or hidden from things, hoping that it will just go away? The flower symbolism was interesting but a bit gimmicky. The scenes where love is portrayed between the various people in the book were so powerful that the flowers seemed almost over the top. I appreciated learning about the various meanings of flowers, but it was the heart of the story focusing on the power of love and the power that the fear of love has that really captivated me and made this one a winner for me. I do wish the book had been titled differently as I find the "plain Jane" label to be a bit degrading and almost didn't read this book as a result. Regardless, THE PLAYBOY'S PLAIN JANE is a touching story that is well worth reading! COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

4.5 Stars: Appearances, symbols and substitutes nothing in the face of real love

A short romance, Cara Colter's THE PLAYBOY'S PLAIN JANE packs an emotional story of romance between a man and a woman who learn through each other to reach out beyond stereotypes and appearances to their hearts. Cara Colter's romance brings the reader to a powerful emotional experience as the reader feels the very frustration over appearances that leads the characters to see each other and indeed themselves anew through the eyes of love. Katie Pritchard has had her heart broken. Working as a florist, she sees love in terms of appearances and symbols and she sees herself as plain. Flowers and their symbolism become a substitute for the risk of feeling and interaction. Sports hero and daredevil Dylan McKinnon with his fast car and sexy looks is irresistible to women. Katie knows everything about his love life from the flower orders he places. She will not fall for this fickle man with his fast track dating record! What will happen when he asks her out? Can they put appearances aside and share from the heart? True to this author's style in this romance as well as in THEIR CHRISTMAS WISH COME TRUE, Cara Colter uses objects to stand for emotions; here flowers and in the Christmas book, figurines. This author shakes things up so that when the two meet, each character realigns their ideas about each other and themselves. Katie, unlike the other string of women dates, opens the door to Dylan's past and his past hurts. As they see themselves through the eyes of the other instead of their own misconceptions, both Katie and Dylan work through the hurt of the past events in their lives. The scenes around Dylan's mother were very well written --- emotional and thought-provoking. Cara Colter's THE PLAYBOY'S PLAIN JANE is a powerful romance about the transforming power of love. Readers may wish perhaps the author had spent more time on Dylan and his parents and a little less on the flower symbolism, particularly if they are already aware of flower color symbolism. To me, it felt a bit overdone. For younger readers or those not fluent in flower symbolism, Cara Colter gives enough background for the reader to understand the symbolism and to begin to feel that the symbolism is a substitute for experiencing emotions. Cara Colter's use of flowers and appearances creates a kind of emotionally moving frustration as the reader is one step ahead of the heroine's progression. Katie comes to a breakthrough within herself only after her reliance on appearances is frustrated and broken. Cara Colter uses form to reinforce the emotional message of this romance. This book can be a personal button-pusher but that is also what makes it so moving. Cara Colter's THE PLAYBOY'S PLAIN JANE carries a powerful message for the reader as well as her characters, especially in a context of one's own past adolescence or growing experiences.