"Lonely Hearts" is a lovely, emotionally touching, wise and beautiful book--with a great dog in it too. At first, rubber stamp artist Sylvie Taylor seems like a sweet-natured ditz, falling onto the mailman from her roof (she was in search of keys.) But she's a breath of creative fresh air to staid Ray Novino. Sylvie decides to befriend Ray, although she resolves not to love him. She knows that when you lose a lover, you've lost a friend, too. Ray hasn't had too many friends, and he resists becoming Sylvie's--superficially they're opposites--but it's clear they're both similar at heart: nice people whose sorrows make them wary of hurting others. Good friends--and the great dog-- give them a shove toward love, and they find the courage to see--and vanquish--their dragons. Simple truths, compassion, and a real flair for bringing dogs--and people--to life make this sweet romance a wonderful, touching read. I look forward to more work from Annie Kimberlin.
