After a long list of psych thrillers and family dramas, I was very excited to read a rom-com, and Stone Broke Heiress by Danielle Owen-Jones totally fit the bill.
It had everything a person could want in a romantic comedy.
The heroine, Bella, is a mess. But she is a funny mess. The blurb spells out her downfall, but it doesn’t do justice to just how brilliant and blazingly spectacular the fall is.
Let’s just say that Bella truly has the worst of all days and has to start a new life that is quite literally the polar opposite of what she is used to.
There are times when her ineptness is a bit too much. The author does a good job with the “fish out of water” theme (there is certainly a lot of comedy to fill out the “com” part of rom-com).
And I suppose there truly are some people who are just that clueless.
But there are a few times that it seems over the top. For me, those happen to be the ones where Bella is thinking about things. In a strange way, her thoughts don’t always match her actions.
For example, she is upset when she screws up soup. But also worries about her clothes or where to get sushi. It’s like her brain doesn’t connect at all times.
However, I suppose that she could just be that pampered and isolated. But we do not see it as much as being told it. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t always ring true.
The only other thing that got annoying was the pet names that Bella’s parents have for her. Again, I guess that is her mom’s “French-ness” coming through. But it seemed at times that the author was trying too hard to think of cute names.
There are also a few stilted phrases. And if you are not familiar with Liverpool, you may want to have a search engine handy to look up slang and commonly-used words.
These actually add a level of authenticity that I appreciate.
I like the trajectory of the story. I thought the overall plot was good, the setting was different, and I liked the characters. They were just unique enough to be interesting.
I would have liked a little bit more of Elsie. She needed more scenes. And I think it took Bella waaaay too long to come to the realization of how she could truly help the situation.
Oh, and I asked my son (who is a football expert) the following question: “If you are in Liverpool and someone asks you ‘blue or red,’ what do you say?” He immediately answered: “Hmmm, Everton or Liverpool…..” So, that was kind of funny.
All in all, I really enjoyed Stone Broke Heiress and would recommend it for a quick, pleasant rom-com. I look forward to more from Danielle Owen-Jones.
Twitter: @danniowenjones
Instagram: @danniowenjonesauthor
About the author
Danielle Owen-Jones grew up in Merseyside. She started her career as a senior journalist and features writer before launching her own freelance PR and content writing business. Danielle now calls Cumbria home, where she lives with her husband, Tom, and adorable cockapoo, Poppy.
Danielle is represented by Clare Coombes of The Liverpool Literary Agency and published by Bookouture (Hachette UK). To find out more about Danielle, visit her website or follow her on social media
