The Lucky One
By Nicholas Sparks


Light weight-stuff here. Author Nicholas Sparks is one of the major players in the romance genre and for good reason—he can churn this stuff out and fast. Here’s another perfect summer read. Not a single surprise and I would imagine that’s what people like about his writing.

The story is built around three characters and every other chapter is about each of them. Deputy Keith Clayton opens the tale and right from the get-go you smell a numero uno creep. As he hangs in the bushes snapping pictures of naked co-eds skinny dipping in the river, someone else is watching. Enter player two; Logan Thibault and his well-trained German shepherd, Zeus.

Thibault, a scruffy, long-haired ex-marine, is on a strange mission and he’s doing it all on foot. He’s hiked from Colorado with a simple pack on his back and a lucky charm in his pocket; a mysterious picture he found while stationed in Kuwait. And (you’re not going to believe this) it’s of our third character in this triangle of love; Beth Clayton, ex-wife of Keith and mother to their only child, Ben.

“He’d known she was attractive, but the faded photo didn’t capture the warmth of her smile or the serious way she studied him, as if searching for hidden flaws.”

Early on, you figure he’ll find his ‘Lucky One’ but as with all good romance stories, things are never as easy as one-two-three. Conflicts are tossed into the tale faster than you can say Nicholas Sparks loves himself and then, (sorry, he brings out the snark in me) surprise, surprise, an enormous, record-breaking storm blasts into the little town of Hampton, North Carolina and stirs up all sorts of trouble for our cozy trio.

“Beth watched Keith and Logan struggle just before the remaining ropes attached to the central landing snapped. Across the creek, the tree house platform tumbled into the creek in a massive eruption of water, and Ben was whipsawed downstream. In horror, Beth saw that he was still clinging to the rope attached to the central landing, which spiraled into the current…”

Okay, let’s be honest here, when you grab a romance novel don’t you pretty much know how this thing is going to end? I mean, isn’t that why you picked the majorly predictable tome in the first place? Thought so. Sure there was a few twists in this story that were a little, tiny bit surprising, but overall I had this one pegged after the first chapter and there is something fun about reading a well-written story even if you know the girl gets the dude with the long hair in the end.

And woe is me to question that not only can the stud-muffin sway the gal into a mad, passionate love of megawatt-sizzle-your-socks-off magnitude, but the guy can play the piano, is great with the kid and can work a decent game of chess. Oh and he can chop an onion too.

“As Logan walked toward her, he smiled as if reading her mind and opened his arms.”