Don't Kiss the Vicar

I like Charlie Cochrane's books because I know she'll always deliver a sweet and hopeful romance, often with a lot of humor. This book made me laugh a few times. I also appreciate the way she throws my American self right into the deep end of British culture. I always end up having a great time wandering around Wikipedia and slang dictionaries when I read her books.

The main character, Dan, is a gay vicar who is still getting to know some of his parishioners. Dan is very serious about his relationship with God, yet it's just an everyday part of who he is. He seems to think of God as his friend, and his belief definitely inspires him to do good in the world. I'm an atheist, but this type of religious belief is easy for me to understand and admire, and it's also interesting to learn about. It's a much more intimate and positive type of Christianity than I'm used to encountering.

On the negative side, the character development was a little bit lacking. I'm really not sure I could describe either main character's personality too well. Also, at certain points, Dan and Steve's actions made it hard for me to like either of them. I'm not sure what was going on with the point of view; although there were a few sections from Steve's PoV early on, I think it would've made sense to continue giving his perspective as the story progressed. The plot was pretty good and was wrapped up nicely.

The ending is happy-for-now, but I can imagine these two eventually achieving a happy-ever-after together. I liked the side characters, especially Harry, and I have such a clear mental image of Margaret.

If you like this author's books, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well!