Men Can Be Mean was featured in USA TODAY as one of the... "must read new contemporary novels." ************************************** Julie Randolph, a writer for an independent newspaper, makes the enlightening journey back into the "real world," through single motherhood and not letting life's tests get the best of her. A strong believer that, "We are not products of what has been done to us rather we are products of what we choose to do for ourselves." On any particular day, our current love situation may fail Then what? The statistical realism is that more than one-half of all marriages and relationships end in divorce and the obvious realism is that modern technology is as responsible for couples experiencing marital infidelity as it is for bringing couples together. Love is as necessary to humans as sun and water are to flowers. Life must be filled with love, but it has to be the right love or it doesn't grow and thrive. Flowers that receive either too much or too little water and sun do not survive. Humans are like that as well. With each failed love, perhaps we lose a petal or two However, the beauty of the creation still remains the same- love is waiting to be awakened, again-with each new opportunity. Given its due is the power of the Internet in furthering the ease in which both men and women can try first hand to find out if there might be a new love connection out there for them. Internet dating sites are permanent fixtures of "getting back out there." But can they survive the lies, tests, and challenges? REVIEWS... A novel as rich in life lessons... as a slice of seven layer cake It is equally as satisfying and does not disappoint the reader on any level. Expertly crafted and interwoven story lines of Love, Lies, Hope, and Fate allow personal identification on numerous levels. "I never see the next step of my life until I trip over it " For anyone who has lost in love, and that's about everyone, we finally get how it all works. With today's technology, one doesn't have to meet someone in a church or by introduction, although there will always be that option; there is now the power of the Internet. One single woman's journey is seamlessly woven in with the modern realities of raising a family solo, pursuing a career, and from time to time hoping to share life with someone. "Those damn hormones." . With the heart tug of a good Nicholas Sparks' tale and the plot weaving of a Jodi Picoult book, Men Can Be Mean is a great read. . Each flower opens in its own way and in its own time, but eventually all of them open. Love is like that too; it will find us. Not always in our time, but rather in the right time. From-- Men Can Be Mean . Is it Luck or Fate that guides us in looking for love or just perhaps, it's a bit of both.