Kimberly Llewellyn Tulle Little, Tulle Late

Tulle Little, Tulle Late

Kimberly Llewellyn

Berkley, Aug 2006, $14.00

ISBN: 0424211320

In Salem, Massachusetts, the invitation hit Nina Robertson like a ton of bricks fell on her as her callous catty cousin Celia invites her to her marriage. That in of itself would be no big deal except for the fact that Nina's engagement to globetrotting reporter Jeremiah just ended six months ago and her cruel cuz is her size so will wear the Vera Wang dress bought for Nina.

Still not recovered from Jeremiah's dumping and now her rival's upcoming nuptials, Nina decides to bury herself at work, but at the PR firm backstabbing is the only way to get ahead. Without alcohol Nina cannot do this; with alcohol she can't perform the tasks of her job. On the positive side perhaps Nina meets Dante the drifter who begins to lift her out of her maudlin depression at the same time Jeremiah is back from Thailand wanting to see her.

Nina is an interesting protagonist especially at work where she is a shirker who probably should have been fired over several unprofessional incidents with clients, but instead has a good chance of reward via promotion (must work for the White House). The story line is fluffy and obtuse outside of the PR firm as Nina is a classic chick lit dingbat deciding between the lesser of two non-keepers. Sub-genre fans will enjoy her antics as she struggles with abstinence that looks like the right choice with the men in her life.

Harriet Klausner