Laura D’s Review of Fast & Loose by Elizabeth Bevarly
Contemporary Romance released by Berkley 1 Apr 08
I was one of those horse-crazy little girls, especially when it involved racehorses. One of my dreams is to attend the Kentucky Derby, and Elizabeth Bevarly’s latest is set in the middle of Louisville during Derby madness. It’s a cute summer read, especially with a mint julep at hand.
“King” Cole Early is the hot trainer of the year, and his filly Silk Purse has just become the last horse to qualify for the Derby. He’s cocky, gorgeous, and has no place to stay in Louisville; every last bed in town is booked. Lucky for him, LuLu Flannery has been convinced to rent out her little home for the 3 weeks leading up to Derby.
LuLu Flannery is an artist, and if she weren’t desperate for cash, she’d never rent out her home. But she is and she does, and as she’s dropping of her key at the realtor’s, she and Cole literally run into each other. A quick battle of insults take place, and they’re both reluctantly intrigued, although neither knows who the other one is-nor does LuLu have any idea that Cole is the tenant she’s worried might be about to trash her home.
I loved watching Cole get to know LuLu by living in her house. His slow exploration of her space and his curiosity about her was very well written. He was being seduced by LuLu, by way of her home. The way he kept picking up a photograph of LuLu and her friends, wondering which one she was. Great descriptions of the colors in her closet, the scents in each room, the light, and her artwork. Even his clumsiness in her small space. Her house really came alive. (The house is actually almost more interesting than LuLu.)
Cole is a bit lost. Other than the first paragraph, the reader never gets to see him at the track or working with Silk Purse, the things that are his passion. He always seems to be at a bar or at a party, and it’s really hard to get a feel for who he is and what he wants. Once he starts to spend time with LuLu, both of them begin to develop a bit more.
“Fast & Loose” is a fun read, and both Cole and LuLu are easy to like. There’s a toasty love scene, a sweet secondary romance, and plenty of lively banter. All in all, a great way to spend an afternoon reading before the Belmont Stakes-go Big Brown, bring home that Triple Crown!
Grade: C+
Blurb:
Thoroughbred trainer Cole Early needs a place to stay while his horse is preparing for the Kentucky Derby. With Louisville booked solid, he snaps up the snug little bungalow his real estate agent miraculously finds.
Glass artist Lulu Flannery has agreed to rent out her house for Derby, but quickly begins to worry. What if her boarder is someone like that rowdy “King Cole” person who keeps popping up in all the places she seems to be? A guy like that could really mess with a girl’s feng shui.
But it isn’t Lulu’s feng shui that Cole is interested in. Especially after he discovers she’s the mysterious woman whose house is filled with such sensual indulgences. What’s a guy gotta do to bring the passion out of the self-possessed Miss Flannery?
