A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde Arrow, HK$104
Sophie Apperly has been raised by a family of academics. Unsurprisingly she's pretty miserable (although also miserably pretty). After Sophie refuses to join the family business, the Apperlys turn her into a latter-day Cinderella with duties that include looking after her dry twig of an uncle. Sadly, Prince Charming is nowhere to be seen: that's because his name is Luke and he lives in New York. Then an old friend, Milly, invites Sophie to the Big Apple where Sophie befriends an elderly but charismatic woman called Matilda. Clever, opinionated and with a fine line in naughty behaviour, Matilda is basically a fairy godmother. Sadly, her grandson is more like Scrooge: he takes one look at Sophie and surmises she's a gold-digger. It's not spoiling the plot to say that the final act dramatises Luke's transformation from slimy frog to dry-handed suitor. This is where I felt the novel fell down. Aimed fairly and squarely at the American market (the denouement occurs over Thanksgiving, for Abraham Lincoln's sake), Fforde's usually sure touch wavers slightly. Still, it's romantic, funny and as charming as a statue of Hugh Grant made out of puppies.
