Take the dating angst of Sex in
the City add the mandatory
“happily-ever-after” from a romance novel and you would have the concept behind
Harlequin’s new Red Dress Ink books. The line is directed at the 30-something
miss who has kissed more than her share of frogs, but still believes that her
Prince Charming is still out there. In Dating Without Novocaine, a young woman is determined to be engaged
before her thirtieth birthday no matter what!

Dating Without Novocaine by Lisa Cach is set in Portland,
Oregon. Hannah O’Dowd is a self-employed seamstress who wants to find her
future husband before her 30^th birthday. Unfortunately that event is
only four months away. Along with her three best friends – Cassie, the
hot-blooded bartendress; Louise, the commitment shy telephone counselor; and
Scott, the dependable dentist – Hannah launches all out warfare on the single
male population of Oregon. Hannah cajoles her friends to join her in Internet
dating, the online version of personal ads. Her first date is with Wade aka
“Mr. Wildlife” Hannah decided his nickname was definitely false advertising.
Next she stumbles on Pete, a cop with ADHD, whose limited attention span is
outmatched by his limited abilities in bed. Finally, she discovers Tyler, who
has her desired earning potential and an adorably huge house, but lacks any
room for others in his life or in his house. Will this determined miss get the
birthday present of her dreams?

Dating Without Novocaine is filled
with interesting and quirky characters. Unfortunately those I wanted to get to
know the most were only background characters. I longed to know more about
Sapphire the Belly dancing goddess worshiper and I could hardly resist Elroy,
the 5’6” wrestler whose psychic abilities could only be out shone by his bad
tasting in costumes. I will grant you, however, that all three of Hannah’s
dates were definitely “characters”, but none of which “I” would like to get to
know better. The City of Portland is
also very much a character in this novel and it is also one that is well
portrayed.

Lisa Cach is
a writer of historical, paranormal, and contemporary romances. Her novels include, The Changling Bride (1999), Of
Midnight Born (2000), Bewitching the
Baron (2000) Seduction by Chocolate
(2000), The Wish List (2001), The Wildest Shore (2001), The Mermaid of Penperro (2001), George and the Virgin (2002), Dating Without Novacaine (2002), A Mother’s Way (2002), and Dr. Yes: B.L.I.S.S. #1 (2003). Bewitching
the Baron won the 2001 "Romantic Times" Reviewer’s
Choice Award and the Waldenbooks’ Best Women’s Fiction Books of 2002. Her webpage is http://www.lisacach.com

Unlike Confessions of
an Ex-Girlfriend (also in this series) I did not feel that Dating Without Novocaine was so
obviously a clone of Sex in the
City. It was genuinely humorous, unique, and enjoyable to read. The novel
did get off to a bad start with a bit of poor editing, but this improved
immensely by the midpoint of the book. With romance novel predictability, the
reader should be able to figure out the ending of the book by the finish of
chapter 2, but do not give up on it. Cach’s novels have a reputation for being
fun filled and laugh packed, and this one is not exception. Like a funhouse
ride, the laughs in this one are worth the price of admission. Reccommended.

© 2003 Su Terry

Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the
United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at
Dowling College, Long Island, NY. Interests in Mental Health: She is interested
in the interplay between psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area of
research is in the impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian mystics.

Categories: Fiction