Lacey's Day

Ted Hewitt finds himself a bit depressed when he gets stood up at the altar. Looking to meet someone new, he explores the personals on the Internet. He comes across a name that intrigues him and writes to her. Lacey initially rebuffs Ted’s overtures at friendship because she is too busy with work. Feeling kind of bad about her rudeness, she writes to him. As they continue writing back and forth to each other, their feelings begin to go beyond friendship.

Lacey’s situation is very complicated; she is married to a bisexual man who is unwilling or unable to meet her needs. She seems to think that he is a good friend; however, to the reader and to Ted, he is a controlling jerk. Lacey still feels loyal to him; after all, he is the father of her child. Ted continues to be drawn in. They progress from email to instant messaging and then to phone calls. Lacey is from China and her English skills and understanding of the American culture are not good. Through their communications Ted teaches her about the American way.

Ted and Lacey make plans to meet in Chicago on 6/13. Anticipation builds as that day approaches. Ted is worried that she will stand him up, like his bride did at the altar. Because of these fears and issues with Lacey’s husband, both Ted and Lacey still have a lot to work through. They both have to decide how much they are willing to commit to.

I enjoyed this story. It is a sweet romance, with some serious underlying issues, like the fact that Lacey is married. The author makes her husband impossible to like, and being that he is gay, you know that there is no hope for their relationship. Ted seems like a really nice guy who deserves a chance to be happy. Stepping into this relationship he has to learn to take some risks, especially with his insecurities.

I found it really interesting that the picture of Lacey on the cover of the novel matches her written description perfectly. This is the closest match that I have ever seen between the description of a character and the representation of them on a cover. Being that it is a real photograph, it brought the story to life even more. One thing that I found distracting was Lacey’s broken English. I understand that it helps describe who the character is, but when all of her numerous communications are filled with a large number of errors, there were times when I wondered why she wasn’t using a spellchecker. Other than that, it is a fun, different kind of story to read. I recommend “Lacey’s Day” to readers who enjoy cross-cultural romances.

Lacey's Day
Jack Eadon
Eloquence Press (2006)
ISBN 9780975330050
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/07)