You Had Me at Good-bye-Tracey Bateman

You Had Me at Good-bye
Tracey Bateman
Faith Words, Feb 2008, $13.99
ISBN: 9780446698948

After nine years at Lane Publishing, Dancy Ames knows she has the ceiling unless someone leaves. However, her bitterness is not the lack of opportunities, it is that her dream job of senior editor had been opened, but management ignored her and selected the Brit Jack Quinn, who assigns her with the 3 revolting Cs: copy, coffee, and clean as he assumes she is just his best friend Kale’s pathetic little sister. Soon after he takes over she is canned as her copies are late; her coffee cold; and her cleaning the latrine (custodial strike – this is NYC) stinks.

Her two best friends Tabby and Laini encourage Dancy to write a book and send to Jack to be published by him. Dancy loves the idea as she fails at new employment. Her concept is a romance between a shark of an editor with a caffeine tooth and a coffee barista. Using an alias she sends her proposal to Jack, who don’t know Dancy as he loves her concept of a Fifth Avenue Princess. Now all she has to do is write a book, but did not expect to fall in love nor trust her beloved as those you love always fail you even God and dads.

The cast is incredibly strong as each of the key players seems genuine especially how they react to a perceived crisis; for instance Dancy expects Jack to fail her so she insures he does whereas Lainie hides in the kitchen cooking and Jack drinks more coffee. Readers will enjoy this inspirational romance as Dancy learns why she distrusts those she loves while Jack’s metaphases is more mundane as he finally understands that his beloved is not kid sister, but a woman he desires with all his heart. Tracey Bateman provides a fine tale, but to learn what happens to the Fifth Avenue Princess read the book.

Harriet Klausner