BACHELOR DEGREE
Judith Marks-White
Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0-345-49239-5
August 2008
Chick Lit

Judith Marks-White keeps readers laughing and entertained in her second novel, BACHELOR DEGREE. Forty year old Samantha Krasner lives a wonderful, fast-paced life and enjoys her job as a partner at the Cole Gallery on Madison Avenue. Her mother, Madeleine Krasner-Wolfe, is both a blessing and a curse. Madeleine has a great deal of clout in the city, and she is beloved by all. Determined that both mother and daughter should cut a swathe through all the most eligible bachelors in New York, Madeleine puts in Samantha in the right place at the right time to meet the right men. When handsome British artist Blake Hamilton arrives to seal the deal on a show at the gallery, Samantha makes it clear to Madeleine that Blake is off-limits, but Madeleine disregards her daughter's words. Soon the mother-daughter duo is in competition for Blake's attentions. Determined not allow her daughter to be dependent on a transatlantic relationship, Madeleine soon introduces new men into their lives, and Samantha joins her mother in a game of man-juggling.

Ms. Marks-White introduces a heavy dose of humor into Samantha's sexy tale of love, romance, and a frustrating mother. I laughed out loud more than once while reading BACHELOR DEGREE! Readers will salivate at the tempting meals deliciously described throughout the entire novel, and the unique relationships Samantha gains and loses throughout the plot keep the novel moving forward. The ending of the novel may leave some readers a bit taken aback; the most important man in Samantha's life is the one least discussed, and readers may be a bit disappointed to miss out on this important relationship development. Despite the quick change of tone at the end of BACHELOR DEGREE, the novel is exactly what readers would want: entertaining, sexy, romantic, and unique. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Angela Etheridge
Rating: 4 ½