View source for Isaac Montgomery for the Love of Beth by Steven Anthony

{{infobox1
|title=Isaac Montgomery for the Love of Beth
|author=Steven Anthony
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=Wealth doesn't bring happiness as Isaac Montgomery finds out when he searches for someone with whom to share his life.
|rating=3
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=132
|publisher=AuthorHouseUK
|date=December 2016
|isbn=978-1524668150
|cover=152466815X
|aznuk=152466815X
|aznus=152466815X
}}

There are words to describe the Isaac Montgomery we meet at the beginning of the story.  Unfortunately they're not words you usually use in polite company.  He'd worked for many years in stockbroking and had made a substantial fortune, but his life was devoid of much in the way of personal relationships.  When he required a woman as an escort, he paid.  He assumed that if he was having a good time, then she was too - if he even bothered to think about it.  He had a friend whom he didn't see all that often and it was when he thought about Phil that a little ''jealousy'' crept into Isaac's heart.  You see, Phil was engaged to Penelope and they were obviously happy.  Isaac began to wonder what love was - and how you went about finding someone to share your life with.

In fairness to Isaac his upbringing had been unusual.  He was the youngest of three children, by quite a long way, and his father, who was a businessman and Member of Parliament, was distant and unloving.  At the age of five he was sent to boarding school and whilst he never went without anything material he was neglected emotionally.  Isaac described himself as ''a well-trained pet with a good education''.  Everything caught up with him when he was with Phil and Penelope and he decided to take a complete break from work to see if he could sort his life out.  Google came up with Corngurn on the coast of the Scottish Highlands and it there that he would meet Beth.

It's a good story: you begin by knowing that you would do everything possible to avoid having anything to do with Isaac Montgomery and then gradually find that you're hoping that everything will work out well for him.  It's thought provoking too, particularly on the subject of continuity within a family firm, where the larger frims still within family ownership seem to operate a system of primogeniture very similar to that of the royal family - the first born will succeed, regardless of personal preferences.

The author has a considerable talent as a storyteller, but I think he has perhaps dashed to publication a little early.  Dialogue is often wooden and unconvincing and some parts of the story would have benefited from being expanded.  Professional editing would have added some real polish.  It would be a pity if Steven Anthony did not make the most of his talent on the final two parts of this trilogy.  I'd like to thank the publisher for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

It was quite a change for Isaac to go from the hectic city lifestyle to one where there were no demands on him.  He could perhaps have done with reading [[The Book of Idle Pleasures by Tom Hodgkinson]].

You can read more about Steven Anthony [[:Category:Steven Anthony|here]]

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