Book Cover and Synopsis:
Her quest for a husband appears to be on the right track as she embarks on the most active dating of her life. But as the guys are ruled out one after another, Angel begins to fear that she’ll run out of options. Will Angel find a guy who meets all the criteria for her happily ever after?
Collecting Zebras is the third book in the Stories From Hartford series.
My source for book: Review Copy
My Thoughts:I found Angel's mission to find a husband extremely entertaining. Despite the fact that she immediately sizes up almost every man she meets, it doesn't feel over-the-top at all. She has a slightly sarcastic voice and it helps that she can sort of laugh at her man-crazy thoughts, in spite of not being able to control them. Angel inwardly admits that she's glad people can't read her thoughts, but I have to say I'm glad the book is written in first person so I CAN read her thoughts because they are highly amusing.
There's actually a surprising number of guys featured in the story--more than I expected--and they all continually pop up throughout, sometimes acting humorously odd with motivations that aren't extremely clear. (Riley, I'm thinking of you!) Just when I'd think no more guys could be introduced, another one would come on the scene. All of this makes it interesting when you try to figure out ahead of time who Angel might end up with. No, the number of guys may not be completely realistic, but it is completely entertaining. Everything else is fairly realistic feeling, including the speed of small town talk and some misunderstandings about which guys are or are not married!
Collecting Zebras is the third book in the "Stories from Hartford" series, but as with all the Hartford books it works well as a standalone if you want to read just the one. As for the others, there's no required order for the series; the stories just kind of fit together in any way you choose to read them. One of the main constants in Hartford is Mabel, the cashier at the grocery store, who has appeared in every story so far. I just can't help but be amused by her good-natured way of sticking her nose into everyone's business while she rings up their groceries!
I do want to point out that the book is very clean. Even though husband hunting is a large part of the story, the content never steers into iffy or objectionable areas. This isn't that kind of story, and Angel isn't that kind of person. It's not preachy at all, but Angel does attend church and accordingly she is looking for someone who shares her beliefs.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Collecting Zebras and I was sad to see it end, though it did end very nicely. Thankfully, the next Hartford book releases later this year so it won't be too long before I can once again "visit" the town and its cast of characters.
My Rating: 5 stars
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
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