Novel Review: Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: 2001

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

  

When a down-on-her-luck divorcée meets a determined-to-dominate detective, they find out that falling in love can be murder...

Nell Dysart's in trouble. Weighed down by an inexplicable divorce and a loss of appetite for everything, Nell is sleepwalking through life until her best friend finagles a job for her with a shabby little detective agency that has lots of potential and a boss who looks easy to manage.

Gabe McKenna isn't doing too well, either. His detective agency is wasting time on a blackmail case, his partner has decided he hates watching cheating spouses for money, and his ex-wife has just dumped him...again. The only thing that's going his way is that his new secretary looks efficient, boring, and biddable.

But looks can be deceiving and soon Nell and Gabe are squaring off over embezzlement, business cards, vandalism, dog-napping, blackmail, Chinese food, unprofessional sex, and really ugly office furniture, all of which turn out to be the least of their problems. Because soon, somebody starts killing people. And shortly after that, they start falling in love...

The Cover:

I rather like both of the covers for this book. The one above is simple and cute, and very fitting. The one with the car is also very pretty and simple, kind of white and shiny, and the car has definite significance to the book. Overall, they both work well.

Review:

This was a longer Crusie novel, one of her newer ones (well, newer compared to the others I read), and so it had quite a bit more story. It was also just as fun as her other novels.

Nell is divorced and losing herself, and so she ends up taking a job at the local detective office, where she wants to change everything. Only Gabe owns the place and wants everything to stay the way his Dad made it. Then there’s the cases they get, Nell steals a supposedly abused dog, not to mention the attraction between their friends, and the secrets between the Dysart’s family.

I was a little confused by the Dysart family tree. There are so many of them, at different ages and relations, and it isn’t explained very well from the start. I got over that, though.

The banter is fun and fast here, the attraction is very nice, the dog is a lot of fun. I also liked that the characters grew. Nell ends up in the same position as before her divorce with Gabe, only she realizes it and decides to change, and Gaba works with her. I really appreciated that. The ending was very nice.

I really enjoyed this book; it was fun and fast and quirky. I had a lot of fun reading it and am excited to read more.

Novel Review: Faking It (Dempseys, #2) by Jennifer Crusie

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: 2002

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

LOVE AND DECEPTION HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.
Meet the Goodnights, a respectable family who run a respectable art gallery-and have for generations. There's Gwen, the matriarch who likes to escape reality, Eve the oldest daughter who has a slight identity problem (she has two), Nadine, the granddaughter who's ready to follow in the family footsteps as soon as she can find a set that isn't leading off a cliff. And lastly, Matilda, the youngest daughter, has inherited the secret locked down in the basement of the Goodnight Gallery, the secret she's willing to do almost anything to keep, even break into a house in the dead of night to steal back her past.

THE RISKS ARE INTOXICATING.
Meet the Dempseys, or at least meet Davy, a reformed con man who's just been ripped off for a cool three million by his financial manager, who then gallantly turned it over to Clea Lewis, the most beautiful sociopath Davy ever slept with. Davy wants the money back, but more than that he'll do anything to keep Clea from winning, including break into her house in the dead of night to steal back his future.

AND IF YOU'RE REALLY GOOD AT THEM, THEY BOTH PAY OFF.
One collision in a closet later, Tilda and Davy reluctantly join forces to combat Clea, suspicious art collectors, a disgruntled heir, and an exasperated hitman, all the while coping with a mutant dachshund, a juke box stuck in the sixties, questionable sex, and the growing realization that they can't turn their backs on the people they were meant to be...or the people they were born to love.

The Cover:

This cover is all right. It's simple and not embarrassing, which is nice. But it also looks... I don't know, old fashioned or something. Though maybe that's supposed to represent the art, and if so then it works.

Review:

I will say that, since I splurge read several of Crusie’s books in a row, they do start to blend together a little. But I can still confidently say that I enjoyed this book.

There’s art forgery, a family art gallery in debt, breaking and entering, a “frail” dog, two family lines of forgery and deception. Lots of messy goings on. And along the way, there are several couples falling in love, and such smooth witty banter, that this book goes by very fast.

This was a fun book, just like Crusie’s other books have been. She’s such a fun writer, the banter so realistic and easy to read. The ending was nice for everyone, and I especially liked how everyone grew and finally did what they needed to. Some of the very minor characters got a little messy in my head, but that’s all right.

Overall, another good book, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Novel Review: Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance, Comedy

Publisher: Harlequin Temptation

Release Date: 1993

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

FEMME FATALE

Kate Svenson knew exactly what she wanted in a man--he had to be tall, handsome, distinguished and, most of all, successful. So she went on a serious manhunting excursion at a singles resort, bound and determined to hunt down Mr. Right or die in the attempt!

There was the tall, handsome, distinguished groper whom she ended up pushing in the pool. There was the tall, handsome, distinguished snob whom she stabbed with a fork. And then there was Jake Templeton.

Okay, Jake was tall, handsome and sexy as all get out. But he didn't have a distinguished or aggressive bone in his body and was content to laze about and enjoy life. He was exactly what she didn't want. Right?

The Cover:

I do not like this cover at all. It's horrible. It looks like a still from some old cheesy movie, and it doesn't represent the book at all. The characters look like they're on a pirate ship, although I guess it could represent the bar in the book. I just don't like it. The Barnes and Noble cover is better, cute and fitting.

Review:

Apparently this is Crusie’s debut novel, which I didn’t know when I picked it up (despite the exclamation on the cover). I might not have picked it up had I known, because that made me wary, but I’m glad I did.

Knowing it’s her first novel just makes me that much more impressed, because this was good.

This book is fast and fun, just as witty as Crusie’s later books.

Kate is forced to go on vacation and find a man and let loose, none of which she wants to do. She goes on several dates, none of which go well and a few of which end with injuries. All the while she banters with Jake, who fishes and gardens and bodyguards but also doesn’t really have any motivation. The connection between them is obvious, and when they finally realize it, hard to resist.

The town Jake lives in is quaint and fun, and the characters are all quirky. There was a hint of Jake’s brother and Kate’s friend having a romance, but they never met in this book, and I don’t think they meet in a different book, sadly.

Still, this book was super fun. I really enjoyed it.

Novel Review: Trust Me On This by Jennifer Crusie

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance, Comedy

Publisher: Bantam Books (Random House)

Release Date: 1997

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling novelist Jennifer Crusie combines fast-paced banter, sexy situations, and unforgettable characters in this delightful romance about two reluctant lovers who couldn’t be more wrong about being right for each other.

TRUST ME ON THIS
Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it’s a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don’t mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they’ll do everything in their power to resist—because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other, and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime. 

The Cover:

I actually think this cover is pretty cute, but I don't think it goes with this book. I mean, there isn't even a dog in this book. Dennie has one, but she's only mentioned. I looks more vacation than this book has, and it's false advertising.

Review:

This was the first Crusie book I’d read in a while, and it threw me right back into her writing. It was exactly what I needed.

Crusie writes witty, fast-paced banter like no one else. It just flows, fast and realistic and fun.

There’s a big mix-up in this book, as Alec is trying to trick a conman and thinks that Dennie is helping the guy, while Dennie is simply trying to get a story from Alec’s Aunt’s friend. They both have troubles along the way, as well as some attraction that is hard to resist, leading to a very nice conclusion.

This book was just plain fun. The group of characters are fun on their own, and the big messed-up tangle they’re in just adds to it.

I’m really glad that I picked it up. It went by very fast, and was a very enjoyable chick-litty book.

Review: Santa, Baby by Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster, and Carly Phillips

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Get ready for a holiday season you'll never forget with three of today's most sensational writers who know what every woman wants for the holidays. You'll believe in Santa all over again with these seductive stories from:
 
JENNIFER CRUSIE
Mayhem ensues under the mistletoe as a determined shopper grabs the very last hot toy action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the middle of a real-life spy game--in the arms of a sexy secret agent. . .

LORI FOSTER
Two dedicated coworkers with a lot of secrets (and fantasies!) between them must plan a Christmas party side by side--and discover a love worth celebrating--in this steamy office romance.

CARLY PHILLIPS
A "mistletoe moment" begins when a no-nonsense lawyer intent on seducing her boss meets his twin instead--after giving him a scintillating kiss that leaves him begging for more. . .

Review:

I've been debating on whether or not to review a book like this, and this one in particular, because it's not a ya. It's an adult romance, and it includes smut. (So, um, yea, mature readers only and all that.) I enjoyed it, though, and it's a Christmas story, so I decided to.

The first story is by Jennifer Crusie, called 'Hot Toy', was probably my favorite. But I like Crusie's stories, and she usually has pretty good openings, as this one did. It's about Trudy, who is trying to find a specific toy for her nephew, one that is almost impossible to find, on Christmas Eve. She runs into a guy that she had a few not-so-great dates with. It turns out that she finds the toy with some codes that the government needs from Russia, and there are several complications as things move forward. And there isn't much smut in this story, only some kissing, but Crusie usually doesn't have much. It was good, though, the swoon. And I liked it, as I already said. Trudy was fun, and stubborn like Crusie's characters usually are. And It's sweet how far she goes for her nephew, and her relationship with her sister is nice, but her sister alone is fun.

The next story by Lori Foster, is called 'Christmas Bonus'. It's about a girl who gets her father's business after he passes away, but she doesn't want it, she wants to be a writer, and has already published some things. And she likes one of the men who worked for her father, who was going to take over the business had her father not left it to her in his will. You can tell where this is going, I'm sure. There were some smutty scenes in this story, which I was looking forward to, since Foster's stories are usually very steamy. And I kind of liked the characters, but some of the scenes just weren't as good as hers' usually are. I'm not really sure why, but they didn't flow or the characters weren't as good or something. (Oh, but the guy did think a little too highly of romances when he first reads the girls story, which I thought was giving them a little too much credit.)

The last story is by Carly Phillips, called 'Naughty Under the Mistletoe'. This one was alright, maybe a little better than Foster's. It's about a girl who decides that she's going to seduce her boss, but then ends up kissing his twin brother instead. The characters were actually a bit fun, and the story was pretty good. Better than the other stories of hers that I've read. But there were some good swoon-like, kind of smutty scenes.

None of these were bad, although some of them were better than the others. These were good, smutty, holiday stories.

(As a sidenote, tell me if you would like me to do more review of these type of stories, because I have been reluctant to, but can very easily.)