When I first starting reading romance again, I loved Higgins’s contemporary romances, especially Catch of the Day. I love a fisherman hero. I left off reading Higgins because she, like other favourite Sarah Morgan, went the way of women’s fiction. But this publisher’s blurb felt more romance-y than usual for WF fare and I took a wild chance. I was wrong and right. I was wrong because Look On the Bright Side really is more WF than I care for and yet, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.

Centred around the Lark family, its focus, at firstl, is Lark Smith, an oncology resident sent packing to work ER because she’s too “sympathetic” towards the patients. And weeps…a lot. The narrative extends to also tell the story of Lark’s mother, Ellie, whose perfect marriage goes wonky when she discovers her husband of 38 years is messaging a woman on Facebook. And again, the narrative extends to Joy Deveaux, Lark’s landlady, who moved to the Cape after losing her brother. Divorcée of three marriages and recipient of sundry “beautifying” plastic surgeries, Joy has more money than she knows what to do with and nothing to do but feel lonely.

The Smiths and Joy are soon entwined with the Santinis when Dr. Lorenzo Santini, aka Dr. Satan, not a mere adorable grump, but devoid of adorableness and made of arrogance, rudeness, and a thorough lack of humour, asks Lark to be his fake girlfriend for his sister’s wedding and the sake of his dying Nona. Lark agrees, hoping “Dr. Satan” will help her make her way back to oncology’s good graces. And there be sad, serious reasons: Lark lost her fiancé to cancer and wants to dedicate her career to working with its patients.   (more…)