One-Off by Lynn Galli

One-Off
by Lynn Galli
Pages: 292
Date: March 26 2015
Publisher: Penikila Press

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: August 4 2015

The tenth book I've read by Galli. Strange to think that it was only as far back as June 29, 2015 that I read my first book by Galli. Reading 10 books in 37 days isn't that strange. I mean, it is 10.14% of an entire year. But the reality is that there is a month gap between the first book I read by Galli, and the second. Or, more accurately, 22 days. So, in actual fact, I read 9 books in 16 days. So, roughly 1.8 days per book instead of 3.7 (though, in reality, more like a day a book; I mean, I did read a lot of other things during that month). Maths fun, eh?

Right. This book here. Right off the start I'll note that I didn't like Skye when I first meet her. Rather rapidly my opinion began to change, and by the end, I rather liked her. Both her and Ainsley Baird. Never really grew to like either Dallas or Colin, the two people who brought Skye and Ainsley back together for a wedding. But then, they were mostly off to the side. Literally on a different continent for much of the book.

Dallas and Colin are co-anchors on a cable news show. They have/had great on-screen chemistry, but fought bitterly off camera. Until they stopped doing that, and suddenly got all lovey dovey. And rather rapidly got engaged. Then decided to marry in something like three weeks after getting engaged. Because, otherwise, they'd have to wait a year - apparently a spot opened up at the church they wanted. All of this is important, because Dallas asked Skye to be her maid of honor, or as it is put in the book, her MOH. While Colin asked Ainsley to be his best . . .something or other. It fluctuated what she was called. Some even said best man, other's said best woman, and some just said best person.

Then, almost immediately, Dallas and Colin are suddenly in some other country in a situation wherein they couldn't be in close contact with anyone in the states. Which is important, because they still plan on getting married within 3 weeks. So, it's up to Skye and Ainsley to plan and make decisions about the wedding. Which they do. Reluctantly.

Reluctantly for Skye because everything about weddings - the wedding itself, churches, etc., are among her least favorite things. Plus, Skye and Ainsley had lived together, no not that way, about 15 years before. While at college - sharing a room with two other people. So four total. Skye and Ainsley fought like cats and dogs. At least the kind of cats and dogs that fought. As opposed to the kind that make that stereotype cliche look stupid.

Right. So. Skye, I forget her exact title, but she is head of news content at the cable channel she works at, or something like that. Ainsley is the greatest expert on Scotland and lives and works as a professor in Scotland.


For the sake of their friends (Skye - Dallas (BFF)), and relatives (Colin - Ainsley (cousins)), they put their differences aside to get the wedding planned and carry it off.

I'm already 50%+ into the next book, so I'm not 100% certain of this, but I'm fairly certain that the point of view, this time, focused almost solely on Skye. It might have been interesting to see the USA through the eyes of a Scottish woman, but it was not to be. Well, technically. I mean, Skye MacKinnon is, in fact, half Scottish, but, baring a trip to Scotland, might feel a connection to Scotland, but not at the level of someone born and raised in Scotland. She's half Italian, half Scottish, and all American (and it didn't help that her Scottish father refused to have anything to do with her)).

The reader does get a sense, though, of seeing America through foreigner's eyes, by watching Skye reacting and interacting with Ainsley. Though Ainsley herself isn't a fresh off the boat Scottish woman. She herself is half Scottish (and half American, though she might punch you if you try to stress that American part too much, and/or called her half-Scottish; in her mind she's fully Scottish). My earlier comment, about not being fresh off the boat, is more about how Ainsley had spent time in the USA previously, having gone to college there 15 years earlier.

Right. So. Most of the book involves planning a wedding. Watching two people circling each other, with both coming to the realization that they seem oddly to like each other, despite their previous bitter experience during college.

An interesting book. A neat book. A lovely little book. And the last one I have to read, at least at the moment. Well, there's one more in the Virginia Clan series, but I had skipped that one on purpose. It's supposedly more of a short story collection, as far as I can tell. So, even if I counted it as something more to read, it isn't a full book left to read. So, I'm all sad and stuff. Hmms. I just realized I had to actually buy all these books, as opposed to getting them through Kindle Unlimited or something like that. So, now I'm poor. And sad.