A LESSON IN FRIENDSHIP by Jennifer Connors, the fourth relationship lesson for Ginny, our favorite romance novel heroine, illustrates how important it is to be a true friend and consider other people's needs above your own. I really enjoyed this installment of Ms. Connors' Lesson series, but only give it three stars due to numerous distracting editing issues.
A LESSON IN FRIENDSHIP follows Ginny into the body of Lady Sarah Dunworthy, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Weston, sometime during the 19th Century. Lady Sarah is a spoiled, selfish debutante in her first season, and the lessons that Ginny has learned so far help Lady Sarah gain some maturity and care for others. Ginny's lesson in friendship pertains not only to her "mega-hunk," Lord Conway, but also to widowed half-sister Mrs. Charlotte Stevens, and incredibly shy friend Lady Penelope Hammersmith.
At the beginning of the novel, Ginny's frustration with having to become a new character and her depression from being homesick are clearly evident throughout this novel. Ginny is grieving the loss of Colby from A Lesson in Patience and so decides not to fall in love in this novel. While seemingly not following the romance novel script, this decision gives Ginny time to focus on the needs of Charlotte and Penelope, both of whom have been overlooked by society or their families in one way or another. While helping them obtain their own individual "happily ever after," Ginny keeps Lord Conway at arm's length for several weeks until he is compelled to declare himself in love with her.
Overall, I really enjoyed A LESSON IN FRIENDSHIP. Besides illustrating how important it is to be a friend with any romantic interest, it also illustrates how important it is to care for friendships with family members as well as same-sex friends. This isn't just a lesson that Ginny learns; rather, each of the main characters in the book faces a situation where friendship is important in some way. As a romance novel, this element is unique and refreshing.
The dialogue and character development were both absolutely believable. There was no melodrama that so often saturates romance novels. Those parts that seemed to approach melodrama status were identified by Ginny as being somewhat cheesy, and so there was some nice humor in the novel.
The only disappointment with A LESSON IN FRIENDSHIP is the editing. The punctuation errors, subject/verb disagreements, spelling mistakes, and other grammatical issues were pervasive and often painfully obvious. This novel definitely needs a fresh pair of eyes for another round of editing.
Issues aside, I enjoyed this fourth installment in the Lesson series, and highly recommend A LESSON IN FRIENDSHIP for your summer reading list.
*Original review revised for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=10178
