The Countess of Suburbia by Gabrina Garza

TITLE: The Countess of Suburbia
AUTHOR: Gabrina Garza
PUBLISHER: Amber Quill Press
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 88k)
GENRE: Contemporary romance
COST: $7.00

Miranda Thoms discovers the truth about her husband’s infidelity and does what any modern woman unable to get him on the phone might like to do – rents a billboard asking for a divorce. Struggling to keep it together post-break-up, Miranda gets help from various corners, such as her opinionated best friends and a world-renowned British photographer she can’t stop thinking about. When Garic Wenham starts showing as much interest in her, Miranda has to decide if she’s willing to take the plunge in exposing her heart again. And if it’s worth it to fall in love with a man who travels around the world at the drop of a hat.

I like Gabrina Garza. I’ve read two short works by her and enjoyed both of them. When I saw she had a full-length novel coming out with Amber Quill, I gave the blurb a scan and decided to give it a go, in spite of my normal aversion to romantic comedy. I’m not saying The Countess of Suburbia has succeeded in converting me, or even that it works great as a romcom, but here I am having finished it, and I don’t feel like it was a waste of time or that I want to throw my computer out the window.

One of my problems with romantic comedy – other than comedy is hugely subjective, and I find myself not really laughing at most of it – is tone. A lot of authors have a problem balancing it. They either go too far into silly, not far enough, or they try to break it up with serious scenes that for one reason or another don’t work. This story falls into the last category, though thankfully, not for its entirety. The first third of the book is a jarring balance of comedy, anger, and tragedy that never gelled with me. Miranda is hugely angry – justifiably so – but in the process of working through those first few stages, she comes across as a very unpleasant person to be around. So unsympathetic for me, actually, that when she meets Garic for the first time, my instinct was to yell at him, “Run away! Run far, far away!” Toss in tragic circumstances with one of Miranda’s friends, and I was left wondering what exactly I’d fallen into.

Thankfully, the author evens it out halfway through the book, making the second half much more enjoyable to read. Miranda is over the worst of her anger, her reactions are believable and flow naturally from one to the next, and best part of all, Garic has a stronger role.

I loved Garic. Even as he teeters on the brink of too-good-to-be-true – I mean, really, he’s British, gorgeous, a photographer who travels the world, does humanitarian work, and has a dead fiancée he doted on…oh, and don’t forget the dog and the fact that he’s great with Miranda’s two kids – I loved him. I thought he was charming without being saccharine, and honestly, I was on his side when Miranda went a little off the deep end at the climax of the book. This was a man with his shit together, and even if I might still have wondered what the hell he ever saw in Miranda, the fact that he was able to see past her moods and anger makes me like him even more.

The strongest part of the book for me, actually, came through in how realistic all the relationships felt. I’ve seen friends like Miranda, Rachel, and Olivia. I’ve seen ex-husbands like Richard. I’ve seen sisters who go a little crazy, and I’ve seen kids go nutso over the smallest stuff. This is where the book excelled, and ultimately, what held it altogether for me when Miranda didn’t. They made it worth my time. Hopefully, they’d make it worth your time, too.

Oh, and Garic. Mustn’t forget him.

Readability	8/10 – Minor editing issues such headhopping and spelling mistakes detract from an otherwise entertaining voice
Heroine	7/10 – In spite of not understanding what Garic saw in her in the beginning, she grew on me
Hero	8/10 – Borders on the too good to be true, but honestly the main reason I kept reading
Entertainment value	7/10 – Disliking the heroine the first third of the book keeps this from being higher
World building	8/10 – Solid enough, with the most realistic details coming in the various relationships
TOTAL:	38/50