Book Review: Manhunting

Author: Jennifer Crusie
Title: Manhunting
Publisher: HQN originally Harlequin Temptation
Publish Date: 1993
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: Kate Svenson was challenged by a friend to go manhunting. After all, she certainly wasn't getting anywhere looking for Mr. Right. Why not a resort that catered to the type of man she wanted? And what she wants is handsome, tall, distinguished, and successful. The first man to fill that bill gets pushed into the pool. The second is stabbed with a fork. And so on. Kate was getting nowhere, but Jake Templeton, the laid back, nonaggressive keeper of the grounds, was beginning to worry about the men getting hurt. He didn't mind Kate looking for Mr. Right, but he wanted her to keep the damage to a minimum.

Review: If you are having a bad day, go out and find this book. It will have you laughing out loud while you read it. It isn't often that you can find a romance novel that has a lot of humor, but Jennifer Crusie delivers every time and this is her first novel. Her characters are real, even if the wealthy financial planner (Kate) isn't someone that I would usually identify with. You could also feel for the underachiever, Jake, who spent his days getting people to mow the lawns around the resort that he owns with his brother Will.

Crusie doesn't skimp of the characters. She makes them all an important part of the story, from the losers that Kate picks up on her quest to find a husband, to the townspeople and even the character's you aren't supposed to like become friends, like Will's live in Valerie.

Yes, you will know who Kate will end up with when you turn the last page long before you do, but that's what makes it a romance, the obvious happily ever after. Plus, there are so many laughs along the way that you really can't help but enjoy this book.

Book Review: Better Than Chocolate

Author: Jennifer LaBrecque
Title: Better Than Chocolate
Publisher: Harlequin Temptation
Publish Date: September 2004
Rating: 4 Stars
Book Blurb: Marketing exec Eve Carmichael plays to win — in everything. So when she finds herself up against the notorious Jack LaRoux — known in corporate circles as Jack the Ripper — for a promotion, she's determined to do whatever it takes to come out on top.

But first she decides to psych herself up by indulging in a weekend of R and R...and a lot of chocolate. Only, once she meets the gorgeous guy by the pool, she decides a fling might be more to her taste. It's the perfect fantasy. No names, no promises, just one incredible night with a sexy stranger. Too bad the man in her bed is anything but a stranger...

Review: There can really only be one word to describe this book and that is HOT! Eve and Jack have an instant connection and it doesn't take them very long to move from drinks at the pool, to dinner, to bed. Even when things start to get complicated with their careers, it doesn't stop them from...well..going at it like bunnies.

Yeah, this story is that HOT! I'm pretty sure half the book was Eve and Jack having sex, or getting ready to have sex. The other half was them arguing over the promotion that they both are up for. Neither of them trusts the other outside of the bedroom, which complicates things, but not enough for them to ...well, you know, quite shagging!

At the beginning I didn't even want Eve to get the promotion. She was too arrogant about her talent. Then Jack steps in and is just as arrogant. These two are perfect for each other.

And Eve is not the typical heroine. She likes to eat, and she has Godiva thighs, from her love of chocolate. Praise the Lord! A gorgeous heroine who isn't slim! I give props to the author for writing Eve the way she was. She had some insecurities about her appearance but she wasn't obnoxious about it. When Eve talks about her relationship with Jack she's very realistic in the way women talk about gorgeous guys with not so gorgeous women too. This made her feel more real.

There could have been plot to this story and less sex, but that might spoil the fun of it all. This is a great beach book, best read with a box of chocolates nearby.

Book Review: Dreamboat

This story started out so cute, but it got a bit slow for me about midway through. I'm not sure if it had to do with the situation I was dealing with when I was reading it. Either way, it as much as I loved Felicity and Dr. Steven, the story just didn't do anything for me.

The best part of the story is the beginning, when she goes on the blind date with the neurosurgeon. All the things that went wrong just made it so much more funny. But once the funny wore off, the story sort of hung there waiting for what was going to happen next to happen, and it didn't seem to be happening fast enough.

It was also hard dealing with the way he initially treated Felicity. The good Doctor had no people skills whatsoever and yet they both seem drawn to each other. And even though Felicity seems to be his bad luck charm, they end up in bed. Huh?

The secondary story, of Dennis and his dad Carl tries to help the story along but it really doesn't succeed well. You only feel sorry for the single father who is being subtly accused of abusing his child, when the kid is "actually" accident prone.

Its not all bad. Steven's temper actually makes for some humorous scenes, especially over the bicycle that he ran over and at the end of the story before they get their happily ever after, so it wasn't all bad, I just thought it could have been so much better.

Book Review: Brazen

Carly Phillips is an author that always delivers a good story. Brazen was Carly's first book for the Temptation line and its been reissued on Harlequin's HQN imprint, so that everyone can read it, and its worth revisiting. I was a bit surprised that it was a Blaze Temptation, as the sex didn't really take a front and center part in the story until the second half of the book. That didn't make the story any less steamy though.

Sammy Jo was the kind of heroine I really love. She's hard working, she loves her family and she's not a whiner. She sets out to have a fling before she has to commit to a man she's marrying to get her father out of debt.

Sometimes things don't go as planned. Enter Mac "Ryan MacKenzie" who she believes is a bartender. There's an instant attraction between the two and when her rental car leaves her stranded at his bar, things really start to heat up. However, the fact that both of them are keeping secrets from each other doesn't make things go easily for them in the end. See Sammy Jo, doesn't tell Mac about her fiance and Mac keeps her in the dark about the fact that he owns a highly successful hotel. That causes a good bit of conflict in the end.

Both characters are lovable and you understand their need to keep secrets, even though you want them to share them, so that they can get it together. There are times when you'll want to shake them both so that they'll see sense. I guess that's why Zee played a huge part in the story, he helps Mac see reason.

This is the kind of book that you can easily envision being turned into a romantic comedy and a good one at that. It has all the right elements including a wonderful happy ever after.

Book Review: Pure Temptation

Vicki Lewis Thompson's books are almost always fun books. That said, Pure Temptation just didn't do it for me, and I'm hard pressed to figure out why, besides the obvious, 26 year old virgin thing.

Dear god, I wish writers would stop with this. Its just a little too unrealistic. It may work for a cute comedy, but in a romance novel where the heroine is supposed to be gorgeous, its just silly.

All that aside, Tess and Mac are cute and funny. Tess has a summer project to lose her virginity and Mac is her best friend, and she enlists him to help her find a man to do the deed. Well, Mac can't stand the thought of her being with anyone else, so he volunteers to solve her problem. Which causes problems because both end up falling hard for each other, even though they know Tess has plans to move to NYC in August.

The best part of the book involves the sex, because Tess has taken to reading some pretty interest self help books about the subject and she ends up being experienced without even having sex.

The bad part still is the whole virginity thing. The concept of friends to lovers works well, but with the 26 year old virgin thing involved, it detracts from a story that could really work otherwise.

Its a good read, but it lacks that something that would make it great.

Book Review: Hard To Resist

There's a saying, "You can never go home," buy Mary Tate Engels blasts that theory into smithereens in Hard To Resist Suzanna Schaeffer returns to the town of Grace to run the new country club. She left years ages ago with boyfriend Jake, but when he didn't want to settle she had to find stability for their nine year old son Ross. Back at home she meets her old crush, Chase Clements, a river rat with a bad reputation in town.

Both are rebels, but all have grown up since their high school years.

Engels creates two very lovable characters that have some inner turmoil to deal with. Suzanna is trying to succeed at a new job with a chauvinistic boss as well trying to raise her son alone. Chase is building a business while raising his sister's son Ken.

They carry out a secret affair because Suzanna is afraid to lose her job because her boss, Mr. Rutherford, has a vendetta against Chase.

Its a story that can only be set in the south. Small-minded townspeople, river rats and feuds.

One of the best things about the book is one of the secondary characters, Ellie, Suzanna's mom. At the beginning she starts off very needy, and by the end she's taking on the elite men's club The Rogue's.

After reading a lot of the Blaze imprint, the Temptation line doesn't seem as spicy as it seemed 15 years ago. This story in particular was more family oriented then hot and spicy, but it worked, with two kids running around, its hard to have believable sex scenes.

Definitely a book to read, if not put on the keeper shelf.