Limecello’s review of Double the Heat by Lori Foster, Deirdre Martin, Elizabeth Bevarly, Christie Ridgway
Contemporary romance released by Berkley Trade 1 Dec 09
I’ve actually been waiting for this book since I read Double the Pleasure. A new Winston story? Heck, a new Lori Foster novella? Yeah – I was curious. Stories by Deirdre Martin, and Christie Ridgway were just a bonus. As well as Elizabeth Bevarly – I’d never read her books, but have heard good things- so I was excited about this anthology.
Hart and Soul by Lori Foster
I liked this novella- and enjoyed it generally more than Ms. Foster’s more recent new stories. In fact, it reminded me again of why Ms. Foster was one of my favorite romance authors. I really enjoyed the romance in the story, and felt that the hero and heroine were well matched. As for the plot – that was definitely lacking and much less believable.
Hart Winston and Lisa Vogle are great characters. Hart is charming, clueless, and hot. He’s the guy everyone loved- the guy who gets everything he wants – and you don’t hate him because underneath it all he really is a nice guy. Lisa is smart, sweet, and likable. It helps that Hart has to grovel early on, and realizes first that he’s in love with Lisa. (This after his whambamthankyouma’am and disappearing act.)
The fact that Ms. Foster manages to get the reader past that is impressive. However, the reason why Lisa finds it “so imperative” to contact Hart is a let down. And the “action” thrown in to keep things interesting falls flat. I really could have done without it.
Nevertheless, Hart and Soul was ultimately just a quick, fun read, but not memorable. I had to skim through the novella again to remind myself of the key points to write this review.
Grade: C
Breaking the Ice by Deirdre Martin
The story had so much potential… but I couldn’t get over the fact that there was so little romance. Lennie Buckley and Sebastian Ivanov just… seemed a bit off for me. They started off as friends, and while they’re physically attracted to each other I couldn’t go with the emotional attraction. Lennie and Sebastian only hung out a few times – and to their, and Ms. Martin’s credit, they hold off on getting physical. Specifically, Sebastian originally is just looking for a friend, who is female. Lennie happens to be mistaken as his “meet and greet” and they hit it off. They’re determined to just be friends, but Lennie makes a move on Sebastian. He holds her off, and they just hang out – both lead busy lives.
A few weeks (I believe) later, they’re meeting each other’s family, and dating. And having sex, now. And then, Sebastian tells Lennie about his lack of job stability, and she goes crazy. Lennie is pretty bitchy, and I thought extreme, even for fiction. They have nothing to do with each other for three months… and then – they’re together again! O_o
But even more than that, their personalities didn’t seem to mesh. Lennie’s so focused on school, and a bit odd. Sebastian is, well, chivalrous, and doesn’t get Lennie’s love and fascination with retro and vintage clothing – and she’s a clothing designer. He’s a hockey player. Basically, I never really believed in Lennie and Sebastian’s romance, or that they’d work. Sad. I did love the cameo appearances by the other Blade players though.
Grade: D
Double Booked by Elizabeth Bevarly
If Ms. Bevarly’s writing is consistent, I’m sorry to say that she’s not the author for me. The premise of the story is cute, and I could get behind the “opposites attract” concept – but Double Booked was a bit much for me. I actually put the book down for a bit.
Amanda Bingham and Max Callahan are… well, spastic. I’m pretty well known for being random, and these characters made even my head hurt.
Amanda was so much a workaholic, that she was unreal. It just didn’t make sense that someone so smart, capable, and put together would cower like she did and kow tow to her boss. Yes it was part of her “character” – but otherwise, why?
Also, Max seemed to be too extreme as well. The listless, good for nothing bum, who only cares about getting laid and having a good time. He seems to be a loser, but then isn’t – and it almost seems like the sole reason his depiction changes, is because Amanda is attracted to him.
She’s so determined to have a fling, and avoid Max in general, working and ignoring her vacation- and then at the end Amanda does something completely out of character, and they’re in love. Maybe it was the length – basically the word limits that hurt this book – which may have been the pitfall for the other stories… but it just didn’t work for me here.
I could believe Amanda and Max as a vacation fling much more than a couple that would go back home to Chicago and stick together.
Grade: D
Original Zin by Christie Ridgway
John Henry Hudson, and Zinnia Friday are fantastic characters. This was also my favorite story by far. It was also the shortest novella in the book, which makes me incredibly sad.
Ms. Ridgway has a lot of humor in her story, but it’s also realistic. I was amused and entertained, but not rolling my eyes because situations were over exaggerated. Zinnia luckily goes by the name “Zin” and she has some hang ups. While skating the edge of believability, it works. Zin’s parents are hippies. She has a brother and sister. Kohl and Mari. Whose full names are Kohlrabi and Marigold. Those poor, poor children. Nevertheless, Ms. Ridgway sticks to her theme, and builds around it. This makes me believe the story, rather than making things seem hokey.
John Henry Hudson is your typical stick in the mud executive, but he’s got a sense of humor. I like that there’s a slight twist of him being something of a hound dog. Not in general – just that he’s super attracted to Zin and has decided to go after her with all of his considerable focus.
Zin and John Henry are actually quite compatible and similar. Both driven, workaholics who follow the rules.
I have to say… I love Zin. I love that she looks out for herself, that she gets mad and gets it out- and chooses what is best or most practical for her. She chooses her career, not love. Which elicits something of a “you go, girl!” response in me. But don’t worry – romance wins in the end, and there’s a happy ending. And it’s great. Suffice it to say, I’m determined to read more of Ms. Ridgway’s stories.
Grade: B+
Really, if you like these authors – Ms. Ridgway’s alone is enough to recommend reading this book. I really liked parts of each novella. I can definitely see myself re-reading sections… but unfortunately when taken as a whole, I found myself underwhelmed by a few of the stories. Has this turned me off the authors? No. I’m glad I read the stories – especially Hart’s, as it’s another Winston story and connected to the anthology Double the Pleasure – and even more so Ms. Ridgway’s Original Zin because it’s such a good read.
Final verdict? Eh – it’s ok. :X If you love the authors – read it. Get it from the library, thumb through it at the book store before you make your decision – do what you like. It’s worth reading. Worth $15.00 of reading… I’ll let you decide.
Overall Grade: C-
Summary:
What could be more fun than a game between friends- or lovers? In these four sexy stories of mixed-up couples and mistaken identities, it’s not about winning, but how much you like to play.
With a brand-new novella featuring Hart Winston, whose switch with his identically hot twin brother has landed him in some serious foul play, it’s a safe bet that in the game of love no one is going to follow the rules.
Read an excerpt by Lori Foster here.
Read an excerpt by Deirdre Martin here. here.
No excerpts from Ms. Bevarly or Ms. Ridgway, who both desperately need to update their websites.
