Playing It Safe

Quote This…

“Every couple needs to argue now and then. Just to prove that the relationship is strong enough to survive. Long-term relationships, the ones that matter, are all about weathering the peaks and the valleys.”

Sometimes late at night, when I have a hard time sleeping I turn on the TV and drown out my brain with mindless, utterly ridiculous programming. 9 out of 10 times it’s COPS. Aside from the blatant disregard for shoes (or teeth) I find the people on this show fascinating. With one exception: the screaming, crying, usually snot covered battered wife. THIS is the point when I turn the TV off and find something much more constructive to do (for example: counting each individual strand of hair on my head.)

Now…chances are you are currently contemplating the probability that I am completely and totally heartless (or at the very least lack compassion and understanding for my fellow female.) That is not the case. What I lack is empathy for someone who refuses to help themselves.

See…90% of the time…the women on COPS make excuses.

“He’s a great guy! I promise. He just had a few too many to drink tonight.”

“It was an accident, I swear! I’m crazy clumsy and punched the wall with my face.”

“He loves me!”

“He’s really sorry!”

“No…I’m not going to press charges. He says it will never happen again.”

That last statement is the kicker. The help is right in front of her, but she refuses to accept it.

That last statement is also the reason I put off reading “Safe Haven” for so long. Nicholas Sparks does not deal in happy endings, and his protagonist (or lead) in this story is a victim of domestic abuse. In short… I was afraid of the combination.

That said…the second the movie trailer was released, I had to read the book. You know…me being OCD and all.

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again.

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven

As with every novel before it (and I’m sure every novel yet to come) “Safe Haven” followed the Nicholas Sparks “3 Step Guide to a Successful Romance.” 1 attractive couple + 1 secret/disease + 1 death = a successful book. And, well…I can’t say that I blame him (why fix what ain’t broke right?) But that doesn’t stop me from wishing he would take a chance. Throw acid on his comfort zone.

I LIKED “Safe Haven.” I promise. The characters were engaging (as they usually are.) The backstories and current plot were solid (even if they were a little safe.) And the moment of doom (otherwise known as the relationship explosion) was action packed and delivered with expert precision. All positives in the eye of a casual reader.

So why am I nit-picking?

Because I can. (How’s that for blunt.)

I guess I’ve grown tired of the predictability of it all. Maybe my ability to pin point the “big reveal” (which for the record happens in the last 2 chapters of the book) by 50% dulled some of the shine. Whatever it was, I was left feeling complacent vs. absorbed.

What does that mean?

It was just another book. Another “love will conquer all, I wonder who is going to kick the bucket in this time” Nicholas Sparks throw-down.

I say…take it or leave it.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: if your characters don’t challenge you, challenge them!

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