Nimue

I read the blurb and wanted to read this book. I was expecting a fresh and entertaining story and wasn't disappointed. Dante's girl is the perfect beach read. Sweet, funny and fast-paced, with adorable characters.

The main appeal of this book lies in the two main characters, Dante and Reece, who couldn’t come from two more different backgrounds. Reece, yes her father wouldn't give up the boy's name even if he actually had a little girl, is country girl from the middle of the US, whereas Dante is the only child of the prime minister of a small European country next to Greece. They meet accidentally at Amsterdam airport where both have a layover. And this is also where the magic starts. Polite but gorgeous son of a Politian meets the fierce and outspoken American girl next door. Like in a fairy tale he takes care of her when danger almost strikes them due to the evil volcanic ash cloud and brings her to his home country. What a premise!

The book is written from Reece's point of view and I have to say that I liked her voice. She is witty and has a funny humour. In the beginning the she is a bit scared and insecure but soon she puts her feet on the floor and starts to enjoy her unplanned holidays. Dante is the perfect gentleman, almost too polished but when he is together with Reece you see the real boy underneath. And that's part of the charm of this novel. How Reece and Dante get to know each other and fall in love.

But there is more to this story then girl meets boy and both fall in love. There is a set of small side stories. Reece has to deal with problems with her best friend from home, who found out that Reece was secretly in love with her boyfriend since years. And Dante has to grow up and fight for what he wants in life and to not always do what is expected of him.

All together this was a very enchanting novel. I liked how Courtney Cole incorporated recent events like the weird ash cloud into the plot. I also enjoyed her writing. It was pretty modern story telling and some of her phrases just made me laugh out load. I whished that both main characters would have been a bit more differentiated from the classic clichés of mid-western girl and polished European but overall the dynamic between these two was amazing and drew me in until the end.