Book Review: Frisky Business

By Becky Gulc

Frisky Business is the first book that I’ve read by Clodagh Murphy but it won’t be the last after thoroughly enjoying this book from start to finish. I love the blue cover (there are several cover styles) and the synopsis was immediately enticing, even though I don’t generally warm to ‘baby’ themes within novels. Here it is:

In the past year, Romy Fitzgerald learned three valuable lessons.

One: Never have sex at a party with a stranger dressed as Darth Vader.

Two: Don't tell him things you've never told anyone else.

Three: Find out the stranger's name because you never know when you might need it....Like nine months later when the baby arrives.

While Romy is happy to raise Luke on her own, one day he'll need to know the truth about his father, and Darth deserves to know that he has a son. Will Romy find her dark knight or will she be left to raise Luke (Han) solo? (Synopsis courtesy of Clodagh Murphy's website.)

Even from the synopsis, I could tell I was going to like Romy and that the book was going to offer fun and intrigue with the ‘Darth’ aspect capturing my attention. It’s a book that definitely lives up to its title, definitely very ‘frisky’ in places (I don’t think I’ll ever think of Darth Vader in quite the same way again…blush, blush) and I didn’t mind this. The sexual chemistry between some characters was really well written. I was pleased when some of the characters actually got it together!

I thought the pace of the book worked really well, from the initial Halloween party ‘encounter’ with Darth Vader then moving forward to when Romy’s son Luke is a few months old when she and her friends take on the mission of finding Darth…which at times seems like "Mission Impossible." It was definitely a book that I looked forward to picking up each evening.

The book is very funny and it really has a wonderful set of characters, each could be a lead in a book of their own which is a real compliment to the character development from Clodagh. From Romy’s friend (wannabe detective), Lesley; her brother, Danny; her very sexually active (and doesn’t she let people know..) tenant, May through to her old boyfriend, Kit. Kit comes back into her life at a poignant time, and seems to resemble Luke quite a bit too…but as he and Romy become close once more something just doesn’t feel right for Romy, but can she pinpoint what it is?

There are some hilarious scenes when Romy is trying to find out who the real Kit is. For the reader as well, the book keeps you guessing in various ways, even though we tap into Kit’s viewpoint we aren’t much the wiser ourselves than Romy is; indeed I found Kit really frustrating at times.

I didn’t see things coming, and when I did towards the end this was the way I wanted things to go so I was happy. There was a stage at which I forgot about the secret Romy tells Darth when they first meet, but this re-emerges towards the end of the novel in a clever way which helps the story comes to its conclusion.

Although in a way the essence of this book is about finding out who Luke’s father is, I didn’t feel this was ever written with too highly a focus, there’s a lot more to it and Romy as a character is fully rounded, we get to know her as a person, as a career woman, as a friend and not just as a mum.

This is a light-hearted fun read that will have you laughing out loud and feeling a bit sad when you have to say goodbye to the characters at the end. Definitely an author I’d like to read more from.

Thanks to Clodagh Murphy for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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