Serving Pride, by Jill Sanders, is the kind of romance novel that people enjoy reading so much,
that they read it again. As a skeptic of the romantic genre, I wanted to read this book in order to judge the literary merit of the book itself. There were many aspects that I enjoyed including the characters, plot line, and setting.

Serving Pride is about a boy named Robert who's mother goes missing after having a fight with
her abusive boyfriend. After several days of searching with no luck, Robert is sent to live with his aunt in Pride. Ten years later, Robert is graduating high school and playing hero, when he saves Amelia from the two jocks who want to harm her. A connection is made, but it isn't until another ten years later that Robert moves back to Pride for good, opening up a door for a new relationship with Amelia. The two grow closer and overcome hurdles together as they learn just how much they need each other.

Characters are one of the most important parts of a book. If readers cannot relate to them in a
personal way, nobody will get emotionally involved or want to read your books again. Jill Sanders does a fabulous job of bringing her characters to life in a realistic way. The main characters, Amelia and Robert, go through many of the real life events that we go through every day. It is easy to put ourselves in their shoes and imagine that we are living their life. The women imagine falling in love with a handsome man with an unpleasant background. The men imagine falling in love with the hot girl they grew up with as a child. It was interesting that the author picked a cop as the male love interest. The contrast between his clean shaven, law abiding side and his passionate, sex crazed side was rather interesting to see unfold.

The plot line of this book really sets it apart from other romance novels. The book starts with a
bit of Robert's past, helping the reader to better understand his past and sympathize with his reactions. The book then jumps to the present where Robert is graduating from high school, and Robert saves Amelia. They are at an impressionable age and being involved with something like that is lifechanging. As the book continues, we see the two grow closer together as a couple, making the end a bit more dramatic. The segmented plot really works together to create a coherent picture where the reader can fill in the empty spots with their own imagination. I also really enjoyed that the author tied the beginning and ending together, even though there are ten year gaps in the plot.

Setting can really establish the background or feel of a book. In Serving Pride, we see our
characters growing up in a small town where everybody knows your business. Both characters move away, but ultimately come back to the small town because it is there home. The small town setting really adds character to the book and allows for some comic relief in places. If this book had been set in a different area or time, I don't think it would have been as efective with the plot line and characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. My only complaints are the length and some of the dialogue.
I wish the book would have been longer, especially at the end. It wasn't a cliff hanger ending, but it felt awfully close. I also thought the dialogue in spots was a little bit unrealistic. It didn't flow as well as I think it could have. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes romance novels and crime mixed together. It is short enough to read quickly, but long enough to get personally invested in Robert and Amelia's relationship. The characters, plot line, and setting are what really make this book a success.

Reviewed by Tiffany Hammel

Print Length: 108 pages
Publisher: Jill Sanders (January 6, 2014)

Amazon

Barnes and Noble