I had the same issues reading this book as I did when I started Cathie Linz’s previous novel. There’s not much that’s wrong or bad, and it should have worked much better than it did – but I felt like there was something missing, some disconnect between the words on the page and the story.

Megan West doesn’t want anything to ruin her cousin’s wedding, so she’s pretty peeved when Logan Doyle crashes it, thinking it’s his grandfather marrying Megan’s grandmother. However, this interruption is the least of Megan’s worries when, later that night, she hears her father say that her mother, whom she was told had died when she was two years old, is still alive. Understandably overwrought by this news, she and Logan drive out of Las Vegas in search of information about her mother.

Half of the book is this search, which at times borders on farce, but does so without going all the way. As soon as we get close to it being an acceptably ridiculous set-up, the author shies away just enough to make it fall in between a realistic plot line and a campy but interesting yarn.

The second half of the book is much more grounded in reality, as they all return to Chicago and Logan and Megan explore the chemistry between them, to see if it could turn into a real relationship despite their prejudices (Logan is a detective and Megan doesn’t like cops) and Megan continues the search for her mother. I didn’t mind the split; actually, I found the second half more interesting and it gave us a chance to get to know the characters outside the unusual circumstances in which they meet, in their normal lives. And I did like both Megan and Logan. They have chemistry, though I didn’t need to be hit over the head with that fact by every character with whom they interacted.

The story could have been paced better, in my opinion. Some scenes are longer than necessary, and others skip forward in time in a paragraph. If you’re not reading closely, it’s easy to miss major turns of events. And, like in the road trip out of Vegas, some things start heading in the direction of one of those scenes straight out of a romance novel, but then don’t commit to it.

Luck Be A Lady isn’t a bad story, nor is it poorly written. It just lacks a smoothness to the story telling and writing style that would have made it a more engrossing read.