I Love Claire by Tracey Bateman Published by: Faith Words (2007) 287 pages Rating: 7/10 Buy it Now:    Also by Tracey Bateman: Claire Knows Best Leave it to Claire Thirsty

When last we left Claire Everett, she was engaged so now it's time to plan the wedding. Being the protagonist of this series, she won't have everything go smoothly - we know that much. Almost immediately, she falls in love with a gown that's far outside her price range. Determined to buy it without help from her fiance, Greg, Claire needs a new form of income. Her writing career has come to a halt and her agent has dumped her. Claire's impromptu solution for lack of cash? Dog-walking.

Amidst all the humor inherent in that kind of career, Claire also struggles with the reality of Greg's upcoming career as a pastor and her position as pastor's wife. Throw in another man who suddenly expresses interest in her, more difficulties with Claire's children, her ex-husband and his wife, and you have quite the mixture of plotlines to collide and create conflict.

In fact, that's perhaps the only problem - there are so many characters and plots circulating here that not all of them can receive the attention that might be needed. There's still resolution, but a few seem a bit rushed.

The relationship between Claire and her ex-husband's wife is still just so... strange. It was dealt with pretty thoroughly in the first book, Leave It to Claire, but it's still odd. That in itself is one of the most unique things about this trilogy. Kudos to Bateman for even tackling such a thought-provoking relationship.

Overall, the Claire Everett trilogy has been a lot of fun, even for a male reader like me. The slightly silly narrative flows smoothly without being annoying, the characters are real, and everything is just... fun. Recommended.