Review: Fated by Carly Phillips

Fated by Carly Phillips (Serendipity 1.75)
Contemporary Romance, Novella
December 4, 2012
Berkley

Reviewed by Helyce

In Fated, we finally get the story of Nick Mancini and Kate Andrews who have been dancing around each other since book one. I was so excited to finally get their story having read all of the books in this series so far, but I was a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s adorable, but I just wanted more!

We met both of these characters in book one, Serendipity. Kate’s attraction to Nick is hinted at; she’s had a crush on him for years. But Nick used to date Kate’s best friend Faith in high school and Kate was not going to be the rebound girl again. She’d already been there and done that! When Faith returns to the town of Serendipity in the shadow of her father’s arrest for a Ponzi scheme and her own failed marriage, Faith and Kate renew their friendship and Nick is right there hoping to rekindle his relationship with Faith. It’s pretty clear right off the bat, that there is no spark between Nick and Faith. Later, when Nick shows an interest in Kate, she balks and won’t accept a date with him. An experience from her past has her refusing to be anyone’s second choice ever again.

In Fated, Nick has clearly put himself out there, asking Kate on date after date, only to be turned down. They have known each other for a long time, and it shouldn’t be so difficult. Clearly there are sparks, but Kate’s reluctance has Nick irritated and confused. When Faith questions Kate about her reasons she explains herself, but Faith knows better and tries to convince her to give Nick a chance. But it doesn’t seem like Kate is going to budge.

So, Faith takes matters into her own hands. She takes a big risk to her friendship with Kate. It could all backfire in her face and she could lose two people who mean a lot to her. But if it works, than all will be well in the town of Serendipity!

For the most part, I enjoyed this story. I’d assumed that Nick and Kate would get together at some point and I was happy to see them get their story. This is an extremely short read; less than 30 pages by my e-reader count, so things move quickly in this tale of long time friends who move on to lovers. It’s has some humor and really is cute. It was a bit too short for me though. I would have enjoyed just a little bit more exploration of the relationship after they have their big night together.

Rating: C

Recent Reviews:
Love to Read for Fun – B-
Happily Ever After – B-
Hanging With Bells – 4/5
Goodreads

Author Website l Series Listing

Kindle l Nook