Book Review: Dragonflies and Dinosaurs

Author:  Kate Austin
Title: Dragonflies and Dinosaurs
Publisher: Harlequin Next
Publish Date: April 2007
Buy: AmazonBook Blurb: Kate Austin makes a captivating debut in this luminous tale of an unconventional road trip... and one woman's metamorphosis.
At forty-two and given to the occasional panic attack, Randy Roman is taking a leave of absence from her life. After twenty years of working at a bank -- no husband, no kids -- she's hitting the road with her young nephews Mickey and Eric, and Dexter, a precocious dog they pick up along the way. With each passing mile of prairie, farmland and raspberry field, Randy feels the thrill of freedom....
Their destination is Cranberry Portage, a quaint lakeside town her mother loved and Randy can barely remember. But a surprise awaits them at journey's end. Call it fate, karma, or the chance for renewal, it will give Randy the courage to take a risk that will change.
 
Review: Usually when I read one of the books from the now defunct Next series, I wonder why Harlequin discontinued that line. I'm glad that this book wasn't my first impression of the series. In a few words, it was dull, depressing and slow.
 
This book took me nearly 2 weeks to read and it was only 300 pages long. 
 
I just couldn't get into the characters at all. Randy was too self absorbed and everyone else seemed to float lightly on through the book, including her nephews Eric and Mickey who were with her on the trip across the country. The only hightlight was the dog Dexter, who really deserved more time in the book.
 
The book was more than halfway over before Tom was introduced. It is hard to believe that he was going to play any part in Randy's life, let alone be someone that might be instrumental in making her stay in her old hometown of Cranberry Portage.
 
What I truly didn't understand was Susan's desire to send her son's away while she was undergoing cancer treatment. I can grasp not wanting them to see you your worst, but sending them across the country with your sister who is going to spread your mother's ashes...well...it was just weird.
 
I wanted something more. Even as Randy started to understand  herself and her mother better, I couldn't connect with her. This definitely was one book I regret picking up. It just didn't work out well for me.
 
Rating: 2 flowers