Sunday, March 6, 2011

Romance Book Review: The Guy Next Door

Authors: Lori Foster, Susan Donovan, Victoria Dahl
Anthology: Ready, Set, Jett, Gail's Gone Wild, Just One Taste
ISBN: 978-0373775569
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: HQN Books

Purchase this book here through: Amazon

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This anthology feature three stores from three of the top contemporary romance authors out today. Lori Forster's Ready, Set, Jett! is wonderful. Lori Foster calls this part of her uber-alpha hunks series (no caps which probably means it will have another title for the series when the new books come out). There will be three books starting in May with When You Dare, then June with Trace of Fever and finally in July with Savor the Danger.

In Ready, Set, Jett! we meet Jett and his sexy neighbor Natalie. For a while now Natalie and Jett have been involved in a very sexy relationship. They never really talk to each other, just have the most fabulous sex. Jett doesn't want that. He really hopes to have a relationship with Natalie, but Natalie seems to be hiding away from that idea. Jett sets out to seduce Natalie into giving more to him. In the beginning he isn't sure how far he wants this relationship to go, but you can tell by his actions that he really cares of this woman.

Natalie, however, is doing everything she can not to fall for Jett, but really how can she not. The man is sexy, considerate and giving her the experiences she had never thought she would ever have in the bedroom. Thinking some time away would give her clarity in this relationship, Natalie schedules Spring Break away from Jett. Soon Jett is inviting himself along and the two get caught in a terrible snow storm, that gives them time to really get to know each other.

The anthology is worth purchasing for this story alone. It is a great way to get introduced to Lori Foster, who is a really good contemporary writer. 

In Susan Donovan's Gail's Gone Wild Gail is a single mother, whose 17 year old daughter wants to go on spring break in Key West, Fl. Worried for her daughter's safety and thinking she would love to go to the home town of Earnest Hemingway, the English Literature professor decides her daughter can go if mom goes along with her.

All that worry about her daughter was one thing, but Gail never thought she would be swept off her feet by the man in the cottage next door.

Jesse is a popular mystery author, but when he meets Gail he doesn't want her to know, afraid of her motives. Soon he decides he wants Gail to fall for him without knowing who he is and what his bank account looks like. But of course this deception can ruin everything the couple were beginning.

As with all anthology when the hero and heroine meet for the first time, get together and seem to instantly fall in love, you can't really base this one your own reality of life. For the most part this is a really good story, but while I live the couple I don't see them having more than a vacation fling in the end. But hey that's what romance books are all about...the happy ending.

In Just One Taste it turns out that it is literally that, hence the four heart rating for this book. I was very disappointed that the author didn't have a full story in this book. Instead she writes a short intro to the novels she is putting out in a few months. She won't be getting back to this couple until next November with Real Men Will.

The stories are about the Donovan Brewery and the two brothers and sisters who run the place. In Just One Taste, older brother Eric is working at a trade show in place of his brother Jamie. Eric meets an attractive woman from another local store. At first he is a little worried because Beth works at a  woman's erotic store. He isn't sure that would be politically correct to be seen with her, especially when he's working on getting a stodgy businessman to add their beer line to his new airline.

Beth, on the other hand has her own reason for not wanting to be around Eric. Just the opposite reason in fact. It wouldn't be good for her reputation to dad a preppy businessman. There are other problems too. Beth mistakenly assumes that Eric is his brother Jamie and Eric doesn't correct her. When the two get together it is only for a fling, so Eric decides to leave it alone.

While the novella as a whole was well written and had an interesting story line, I'm not into just reading teaser stories. I like some closure in the story. Plus, having to wait until November to read the continuing story on these two is too long for me. Sorry, but by then I'm likely to forget that it is coming out.

All in all The Guy Next Door is worth the read. Can't wait to check out Lori Foster's upcoming books.

Description:
Ready, Set, Jett! by Lori Foster:
A vacation from her no-strings romance with her sexy next-door-neighbor. That's what Natalie Alexander needs to get her head—and heart—together. But her solo trip south turns into a disaster—until gorgeous Jett Sutter turns up with another challenge.

Gail's Gone Wild by Susan Donovan:
Gail Chapman is a buttoned-up college professor from Beaverdale, Pennsylvania, who insists on chaperoning her teenage daughter's spring break trip to Key West. When Gail meets local Jesse Batista, she's the one who needs a curfew ...

Just One Taste by Victoria Dahl:
Eric Donovan is the oldest of the family, and he's always responsible and well-behaved. After all, he has to set an example for his brother and sister, right? Well...

All-work-and-no-play businessman Eric Donovan won’t be distracted by a “businesswoman” who’s all wrong for him. Beth Cantrell owns a woman’s erotica shop! And she has a juicy little secret. Can she tempt him to put pleasure before business for once?

1 comment:

  1. Hope the editor did a better job on the final product ... or does anybody still know how? Does anybody care?

    ReplyDelete

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