SAFE HAVEN (Nicholas Sparks) - August 13/11

This fairly typical effort from Sparks contains an admittedly engaging romance that is, of course, utterly idealized. But Sparks does a nice job of transforming both Alex and Katie into truly likable figures, and it's impossible not to root for their inevitable coupling. But about halfway through, Sparks begins devoting entire chapters to the perspective of Katie's abusive, reprehensible husband, and I just couldn't work up an ounce of interest in his exploits. Who cares? The Sleeping with the Enemy-like storyline does, as a result, begin to grow more and more tedious, although the inevitable battle is far more exciting that I expected. Oh, and the twist that Jo is actually the ghost of Alex's dead wife? Laughable. (I mean, really, Sparks. What were you thinking?) **1/2 out of ****