Julie Ortolon

Quirky character flaws made this an enjoyable (and quick) read. Half the time I was laughing at these two or shaking my head wondering....how can two grown ups act so childish...but all in the name of love.

Opposites attract, right? In Julie Ortolon's contemporary romance, this couldn't be more true. Oliver Chancellor and Aurora St. Claire are both from old Galveston families but this is where the similarities end. Chance is a staid and proper banker whose father once owned the major bank in town. He has been a part of Galveston high society for his entire life. He's cautious, studied, detail-oriented, and content to live the life that everyone expects him to lead, including getting engaged to show more the very proper debutante his mother has chosen for him even if he's never once been tempted to kiss Paige. Rory, on the other hand, is the descendant of the scandalous Marguerite Bouchard, who was never herself accepted by Galveston society. Rory is a tour guide with big dreams for the future. She's passionate and impetuous and not afraid to reach for what she wants.

What Rory wants is to buy the wonderful old Pearl Island mansion where Marguerite once lived and her ghost is said to reside still and turn it into a bed and breakfast. Rory and her siblings don't have the money to turn this dream into a reality without a large business loan. But Rory ran into Chance out at Pearl Island, having known him when they were younger and he was her brother's friend, and so she turns to him to help the St. Claires get the loan they need. Chance had a crush on Rory when she was younger and he still finds himself wildly attracted to her. Agreeing to help her with securing the loan and then with starting the business, he gives himself the opportunity to be around her again and again. And the two of them do spark off of each other constantly. But Chance is still determined to marry Paige, as is expected of him.

How can Rory and Chance work to reconcile their differences, in outlook on life and in social class, turning them into complimentary assets? There is never any doubt that the novel will end up as expected but the ways in which the secondary characters take on bigger roles is unusual. Rory actually likes Paige and although it is awkward when Paige befriends Rory's sister and gets deeply involved in the opening of the bed and breakfast, it adds a new spin to Rory and Chance's struggles to find the right path. As characters, Rory is definitely more appealing than Chance, who is so focused on appearances that he comes across as a right snob. The fact that the two of them plummet immediately into clothes tearing lust and that Chance is never bothered by the fact that he's enjoying the heck out of steamy sex with Rory while planning to marry Paige is just a bit dirt-baggish too. On the whole though, the novel is a fun romp of a romance and a quick and easy read. show less

Maddy and her friends each decide to address their biggest fears thus creating the ideal setting for a three book series. Maddy's fear will be overcome if she gets her art work displayed in a gallery. She takes the opportunity to take up a job with her foster mother at a summer camp for children - unfortunately, no one has told Joe who is her old flame and the camp director, and he is not very happy.

This is entirely predictable. Maddy and Joe come together again but have to overcome some show more hurdles to make a lasting relationship. The book is not particularly deep and there is quite a lot of pseudo-psychology about why Maddy fears to succeed. Overall it is not completely rooted in reality (no CRB checks or equivalent when working with children ?) but that isn't too much of an issue. The start of the book is particularly sharply written setting the scene quickly and Joe's initial hostility is well done but, it does rather get bogged down a bit in Maddy's lack of confidence and a few too many sex scenes. Overall, however, this was an light and entertaining read with no standout features to differentiate it from many other novels of the same kind. show less

Three college friends are upset when a fourth friend writes a self-help book that includes personal stories about them as examples of what not to do. They decide to prove her wrong by facing their fears and vow to meet again in one year as changed women.

This is Maddy's story. She's a modern gypsy--long skirts, tank tops, and sandals. She's also an artist and a very independent woman. When she was 17, she was head over heels in love with Joe but turned down his marriage proposal because she show more was headed to collete and he was in the Army. Now she's single again (her husband died of cancer two years ago) with no children, and she's ready to get serious about her art career (which she put aside to care for her dying husband). A job offer arrives in the mail that could be the opportunity she's been waiting for. Joe's mother (with whom she's been in contact since high school) runs a summer camp in Santa Fe, and she is in need of an arts and crafts director. Santa Fe could be the perfect location to launch her art career, but there's one problem: she'll have to face Joe after 15 years of hurt. She accepts the job, and once she sees Joe again, decides she may be interested in rekindling their romance after all.

This is a great concept for a series. I love how the friends appear throughout the book, via emails and then in person at the end. It allows you to get to know the characters who will be featured in the next two books. I enjoyed Maddy and Joe's story, but there were some parts that were very frustrating. It begins when Maddy first enters the camp and sees Joe. He acts angry that she's there, but both of them are secretly remembering the past and imagining a sexual relationship with each other. They finally talk to each other, and he decides to help her get her work in an art gallery. He takes her to Santa Fe, where they visit several art galleries, have lunch, and then share a passionate kiss. When Maddy gets back to camp, she tells her friends she thinks she's falling in love with him. It was just too soon. After 15 years apart (and loving another man), all it takes is for Joe to kiss her and she's ready to pick up where they left off? Also, considering Joe is a disciplined military man who grew up in foster care, he's extremely sensitive...annoyingly so. He immediately wants commitment, a point I found unbelievable considering how hurt he was when Maddy turned down his proposal. If he's been nursing bitterness for 15 years, I don't think he's going to want to rush into a heavy relationship with her again.

There are minor complications for the couple, mostly as a result from a lack of communication, but they are very insignificant and the end result is as predictable as it gets. Sex seems to be the answer for Joe and Maddy, which is another problem I had with the story. They have sex too early, then Maddy gets upset with him and withholds sex, they make up when she offers sex again, and this establishes a pattern for them. If they spent a little less time having sex and a little more time talking to each other, it would have been a 4-star book. I'd enjoy more dialogue and fewer sex scenes. show less