Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter- A Book Review

In a recent Gather Fiction Giveaway, I was lucky enough to win quite a few books. (Well, technically, I was doubly-lucky and one two Giveaways, woohoo!) As I'd been taking a bit of a break from reading fantasy fiction, I decided to read a bit of the fiction that Gather had sent along.

On my way out the door to work (my primary reading place, at this point) one morning, I grabbed Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter from the stack. I had no idea what it was about, but hey! I figured if nothing else, it would distract me between pesky customers.

The story's main character is Tiana Tomlinson, a former journalist-turned celebrity-gossip-newsanchor. She's getting older, and her TV station heads start to suggest that her show get a younger co-host. The book follows as Tiana struggles with the concept of aging, particularly in the television industry where one must always look perfect. She is against plastic surgery, and in particular doesn't like "Dr. Hollywood"-- a plastic surgeon to the stars.

Throughout the story, Tiana fights the TV station heads, her own negative self-esteem, and a rather horrible (if cliched) past. She must get through it all to stay on top in the business.

The book is a love story, as well as a meandering journey through the thoughts of an aging woman who doesn't think of herself as getting older. It has some good messages, and some interesting thoughts to ponder, but I certainly wouldn't call the story very deep. It's fairly predictable, particularly in the romance aspect. Nothing in it really surprised me, but it wasn't a bad read-- just middle of the road, as far as plot goes, I'd say.

One aspect of the book that really did bother me was the tenses used by the author. Porter seems to switch a lot in the first person narrative. On one page, the text might read "I went down to the coffee shop to order my soy latte," while on the next page, it's "I go down the street, and I'm turning into my driveway," It's an easy thing to accidentally switch between tenses like that, but it annoys the heck out of me. I find it distracting, and the mark of a less-talented author who probably needs to brush up on tenses and find a better editor.

Overall, though, if you're a woman (because I doubt too many men would be at all interested in reading this one) looking for a quick, decent-if-predictable read, then go for it.