Limecello’s review of Mr. November by Lori Foster
Contemporary romance released by Harlequin Temptation 1 Nov 01, repub’d 1 Jun 08 in anthology, Heartbreakers

Lori Foster has been writing romances for some time now, and a number of her books are being re-published. Mr. November is one of them. I’ve read the other two (Caught in the Act and Treat Her Right) in the trilogy of sorts, and found Mr. November very enjoyable. I’m glad I finally got my hands on this story.

Amanda Barker is an interesting heroine – she’s young, but doesn’t act her age, considering she’s carried years of guilt and the weight of lives on her shoulders. She’s a sympathetic character, but I didn’t feel as bad for her as I might have, because it got a bit excessive. I can understand irrational responses to terrible situations, but I don’t want it to reach irritating proportions in a character. Still, Amanda was smart and sassy – albeit a bit flat. Nevertheless, Amanda is an admirable person and I wish she’d been included in more stories.

Josh Marshall is a great character. Not only do the heroes generally take the limelight in Ms. Foster’s books, Josh has appeared in a number of her other ones as a favorite. He’s the quintessential bachelor and player. He likes the ladies and they really like him. Still, Josh has no interest in being a beefcake for Amanda’s charity calendar. Josh is pretty easy going and seems superficial, but deep down he’s a great guy. Once he actually interacts with Amanda he realizes he’s falling for her head over heels, and is quite happy to start settling down. Josh has great personality, and is fun to read.

I felt that some of the story was rather weak – specifically Amanda’s insistence on Josh being in the calendar. She was so certain his image would be the one to sell it – then put him as Mr. November. I don’t know about you, but November makes me think turkey, football and pumpkin pie (mmm) – not super hot guys. Ah well, it provides for all the interaction between Josh and Amanda, and it’s a minor point I’m willing to let go of.

Ms. Foster does and excellent job crafting the interaction between Josh and Amanda. The sparks are tangible, and their chemistry is explosive. Amanda and Josh are instantly attracted to each other, though they go about expressing it and dealing with it in entirely different ways. For Josh it’s all too welcome, but for Amanda, she can’t run fast enough. This made the story interesting, and it’s always nice to see a “normal” guy hot in pursuit of a woman he loves.

Another positive was how Ms. Foster writes their relationship. Josh and Amanda clearly feel strongly about each other, and have a definite bond – they also don’t rush things physically, which lends itself to a lot of delicious sexual tension throughout the book. I also appreciated how the reader was able to follow the emotional bonds from inception to happy ending. While Ms. Foster’s writing can at times be a bit formulaic, it didn’t really detract from the plot and I enjoyed the story all the same.

For those of you who have read Caught in the Act and/or Treat Her Right I definitely recommend you read Mr. November. Otherwise, I recommend this book to all fans of Lori Foster, as well as those looking for a short, sweet, and overall lighthearted romance. A definite mood brightener.

Grade: B+

She needed him for a good cause
Amanda Barker had to have firefighter Josh Marshall. With his sexy body, killer smile and incredible reputation as a lady’s man, he’d sell a million of her fund-raising calendars. But Josh wasn’t cooperating, and he wasn’t playing fair…

He needed her for … other good things

If there was one thing Josh knew, it was that where there’s smoke there’s fire. And Ms. Amanda Barker was smokin’. Over and over, he’d refused her requests to post for a calendar, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. And neither would he when he laid out the rules: he’d agree to meet her needs, if she agreed to meet his…

Read an excerpt here.

This book is currently re-released as part of the anthology Heartbreakers.