Mary Had A Little Problem

Mary Had A Little Problem by Destiny Blaine is not the light-hearted story the title would suggest by likening it to a nursery rhyme. The topic is realistic and had the story been more developed, it would’ve been amazing. As is, the story of Mary is compelling. But the author missed opportunities to deepen her characters.

Mary is believed to be a newly widowed Navy Seals wife but she doesn’t accept her husband’s unexplained death as the Navy would like her to. Given no real answers surrounding his death, no body to bury or witnesses to explain what happened, Mary can’t get past her state of denial and confusion. Her persistence in seeking answers and her strength drew me to her.

When the book opens, she’s out at a bar with her sister who is trying to help her embrace life again. That’s when she meets her sister’s friend Brock, a suave and persistent Marine who reminds her of her husband. There’s a connection there – one that Mary isn’t even aware of at first - and it’s not long before Mary and Brock fall in love.

Brock’s dominant personality is sexy (love those alpha heroes) and his way of caring for Mary was sweetly protective. I’d be remiss not to mention the hot sex scenes, particularly the bdsm type play that Mary engages in with both men. Their romance overall was electric. But to the author’s credit, I felt torn even as Mary began moving on that she was leaving the love of her life behind even though I adored Brock.

The author skims through a lot of the story as she moves along to the conclusion. Mary and Brock fall in love, he leaves on an assignment, and they plan a wedding. During all of this, short excerpts reveal that her husband Luke is still alive and had been captured but now escaped. This is an area that could’ve used more detail, details that would’ve greatly enriched the story and given the reader empathy for Luke.

When Luke reappears at Mary and Brock’s wedding, Brock is prepared to step aside. But it’s Mary who isn’t sure she can give up one man in exchange for the other. Their story was an interesting twist on a ménage relationship that forms in an untraditional way but still appears to work in the end. However, the end left me thinking about the parts that were missing from the story. I wanted to know more about these characters and felt cheated out of information.

RATING: Four Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries.

See also Jenn's review on this same book posted on September 19, 2011.