Harley Jane Kozak

After hearing Harley Jane Kozak speak during a panel discussion at the L.A. Times Festival of Books one year, I had to try out her series. A greeting card artist and shop manager, Wollie, isn't the type of person you'd expect to get mixed up in trouble. At least not the kind that puts her life at risk. In an effort to make some extra cash, Wollie has signed up for a research project put on by a radio talk show host who is writing a book. She must date 40 men in 60 days. Doesn't sound so bad show more except for the fact that she came into the project late and is now rushing to fit in as many dates as she can in a short amount of time. Wollie is also under close scrutiny by the company who she works for as they determine whether she is franchise material or not. But that's just background information.

The trouble comes when Wollie receives a call from her brother about a murder at the mental hospital where he is a patient, discovers a dead body on the road, is taken hostage by a rather good looking and charming man, and becomes a target of the mafia. Yes, this book requires a bit of suspension of that ol' disbelief, but it's actually quite fun and comical.

Wollie is a great character--she doesn't always make the smartest choices, but she certainly is no slouch. There were only a couple of eye rolling moments; and as much as I could see the appeal of her main love interest, he was a bit too perfect. But you know what? That's okay. This book hit the spot and I thoroughly enjoyed it. show less

I was in desperate need of a fun, raucous read -- and Harley Jane Kozak came through for me, once again. A DATE YOU CAN'T REFUSE is a shotgun blast -- or should that be some fancy fully automatic weapon that I'd be completely faking it if I tried to name it? -- of humor, action, romance, compassion, more humor, more romance, more action. Not sure I want to visit Wollie's new friends, but I'd sure like a crack at that shooting range!

Harley Jane Kozak's Wollie Shelley series keeps getting better and better. A DATE YOU CAN'T REFUSE, the latest installment in the dating adventures of greeting-card artist Wollie Shelley, is the best yet. The humor and Tinseltown atmosphere are still there, but Kozak has added elements of espionage, a little Ludlumesque paranoia, and further developments in Wollie's personal life. This was a true page-turner for me and I devoutly hope we haven't really seen Wollie ride off into the sunset, show more as suggested on the last page. Nevertheless, I know by now that I'll enjoy whatever Harley Jane Kozak writes next. Highly recommended. show less

This book was a fun read (or listen, in this case).I loved the main character, Wollie. I should have found her hard to connect with: a 6 foot tall denizen of the L.A. celebrity set (she isn't a celebrity herself, although she has a brush with it), but I was clearly riding through the book with her-- laughing as the situations she got into inspired some of her "alternative greeting cards", worrying about the trouble her best friend was in, concerned about her relationship with her show more boyfriend.The basic plot was a "someone being framed for murder, best friend to the rescue" standard. The details were unusual, with entertaining twists and turns. She's got a new guy in her life, and doesn't quite know where she stands. She's sleeping in his apartment, with her stuff in a suitcase in her very own walk in closet. Both of them are having a little trouble (or maybe too little trouble) separating work and pleasure: She picks up a job as a "dating correspondent" for a soap gossip show, he's an FBI agent with an undercover role dating a beautiful woman.I don't know if the portrait of life in the community surrounding a soap opera was realistic or not. I don't really care, I enjoyed suspending disbelief. The characters were all exaggerated (in a good way), larger than life. The situations the characters found themselves in were as well.I particularly enjoyed the "You will see Greeks everywhere" thread running through the book. Wollie is commissioned to paint a mural featuring Greek Mythology, in spite of knowing nothing about the subject. She is told that as she learns more, she will notice Greeks and Greek mythology everywhere, and so it happens. Perhaps this should have been more subtle, but subtle doesn't describe anything about this book. In general, I found this book a very quirky read, and one that I enjoyed. I will read more of the series at some point. show less