For the Love of Pete

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Jan09

I had a good time reading “For The Love of Pete”. No tears, no frowns, not even sniffles. Just smiles, laughter, and a happily ever after! (Oh wow, that rhymed!) Julia Harper’s latest is a charming blend of humor and romance, with the added spice of some action and suspense. But nothing too ‘heavy’--oh no, instead it’s a feel good read from beginning to end.

Zoey cannot believe what she’s seeing. Mr. Lips of Sin himself is trying to take HER parking place, the one she shoveled the snow from herself! No way is he gonna get away with that. So she throws herself on the hood of his car, then they argue. But in the middle of their argument, they both see a man with a gun running show more from the building in front of them! Zoey throws herself in his car and tells him to floor it. The chase is on…

Dante isn’t quite sure how he ended up chasing a mob hit man who kidnapped a baby which was then re-kidnapped (??) by two elderly Indian women in saris. Within an hour of setting off on the chase, this buttoned up FBI Special Agent is on the run himself…accompanied by the free spirit aunt of the kidnapped child. It’s becoming very clear to Dante that the FBI mole he was sent to sniff out has instead managed to turn the tables. Now he just needs to: clear his name, find and expose the mole, track down the kidnapped baby, figure out what in the hell the Indian women have to do with any of this, and keep himself from falling in love with Zoey…what? Where did THAT come from? He’s not the love at first sight kind of guy…right?

I began smiling on page one when Zoey threw herself on Dante’s car. The sheer zaniness of the plot and characters was enough to brighten the very rainy afternoon I spent reading this book. You’ve got a bumbling hit man with anger management issues who’s actually henpecked by his wife, two Indian grandmas who are searching for the best ingredients for their about to open restaurant’s signature dish, an FBI mole who has other agents and some local cops on his payroll, a big name mobster trying to have the star witness in his upcoming trial killed, and a whole other cast of characters that each have foibles of their own. And the piece de resistance is the pairing of our hero and heroine, two very different personalities who discover that trust is the most important ingredient in the love recipe.

The setting is perfect, the mystery has just enough clues and red herrings to keep you guessing, the action is fast is furious, the dialogue is witty, and the sexual tension is edgy. Oh and the humor…it’s very difficult to add comedic elements to a suspense story, but Julia Harper has done a bang up job. “For The Love of Pete” is the perfect read to lift your spirits. show less

This wasn't as funny as it sounded when I picked it up but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I really liked the characters. So much so that I would have preferred a little less exposition about their backgrounds and a little more showing but the story was pretty packed as it was so I can see why that'd be a little tricky to achieve. Overall, though, I liked the book enough that I've already ordered Julia Harper's other book, "Hot."

This was a fun read, I want more. The voice is very different from the author's Elizabeth Hoyt voice and IMO should not be compared to it, but I guess some readers do so anyway, hence the so-so reviews. The book is full of action, humor and weird characters, but never over the top. I usually don't like epilogues, but this book's last chapter, featuring two of the supporting cast, is one I will remember. I know I will reread this book when I can use some cheering up.
Grade: B

Everyone knows the unwritten law that if you shovel the snow from a parking space and mark off the spot, that's your space. Everyone that is but Dante Torelli. This is what Zoey Addler discovers when she gets home and catches "Lips of Sin" her sexy neighbor taking her spot. She doesn't know his name, hence the Lips nickname. Before she can finish giving him hell for taking her spot a man runs from the apartment building with a baby. But it's not just any baby, it's Pete, Zoey's niece. And the man isn't just any man, he's a kidnapper. Before Dante realizes it he's in a car chase with his crazy neighbor as his passenger.

For the Love of Pete follows Dante and Zoey on the road trip of a lifetime as they try to get Pete back. Along the way show more they meet up with some colorful characters in the form of Savita Gupta and Pratima Gupta. The involvement of these ladies gives the chase a dash of comedy along with a bit of surrealism. After reading Harper's HOT and enjoying it I was looking forward to reading For the Love of Pete and was not disappointed. All the same elements that I liked in HOT are in FtLoP.

Zoey Addler is an interesting heroine. She works at a health foods store and also writes poetry. She dresses in her own style, (read: eclectic) and adores her niece. Zoey doesn't have any kids of her own but she helped her sister raise Pete and loves her very much. So when Pete is kidnapped Zoey's reaction is to go after her. She doesn't know at the time that Dante is an FBI agent, he just happens to have a car handy. As they move through the twists and turns of tracking Pete, Zoey gets to know Dante beyond his gorgeous looks and designer suits. He's certainly not what she would consider her type, she more into the artisan types, but this isn't exactly a first date situation. What Zoey realizes is that Dante, for all his class and style is a genuinely nice guy. Add that to his Lips of Sin and you've got a combination that's hard to resist.

Dante Torelli first showed up in the book HOT. He was a secondary character that was given enough page time to grab my interest. In FtLoP he takes center stage and shows that he did deserve a book of his own. If Zoey is a free spirit, child of the earth then Dante is an uptight, lover of rules and regulations. Actually he's not that bad. He just has a different way of unwinding and takes his job very seriously. He comes from a background of privilege and does enjoy having the finer things in life. Like his beautiful BMW that he and Zoey take on a wild ride.

Zoey and Dante are indeed a case of opposites attract. With Dante being the straight arrow, by the book FBI agent and Zoey, well being Zoey. She's more of a by-the-seat-of-her-pants thinker. Which only means that they tend to clash at times but in the end give each other the balance they need. In relationships, the ones that seem to work the best are the ones that have that balance, when the strengths of the heroine and hero compliment each other. That's what happens with Zoey and Dante.

With all this driving around, searching for a kidnapper you'd think that it would be hard for our hero and heroine to find some alone time, to get to know each other better on a more physical level. And you'd be right. The first time they were intimate didn't happen until page 304 of a 375 page book. Did this bother me? Nope. It made sense given the plot of the book. Sure they had opportunities prior but they still had a lot on their minds. It also didn't feel like the right time, they needed to get to know each other better. Once they got to the point where they did have sex it was definitely time. As for that first time I must say umm....well, I was expecting a bit more finesse from Dante. But he turned all uber alpha. But to give him credit he had been in denial for his attraction to Zoey and once he accepted the inevitable he went for it.

For the Love of Pete is another good read from Ms. Harper aka Elizabeth Hoyt. Her secondary characters of the Gupta ladies add flavor to the story mix. And the bad guys keep everyone on their toes. show less

I loved this book! It would make a dandy movie - I can just see the Aunties arguing with each other. What a hoot they were! Anyway - enough of the gushing - when baby Pete is kidnapped to prevent her daddy from testifying all hell breaks loose.

We have a very possessive aunt, a really, really bad kidnapper, the above-mentioned aunties and and FBI guy who not only is a hunk, manages to keep his cool when everyone else has lost their's on page two! You will love this.....

Special Agent Dante Torelli (Lips of Sin) has been assigned to watch over mob informant Ricky Spinoza and his family, which consists of girlfriend Nikki and baby daughter, Pete. Zoey Addler is Nikki's sister, and though she isn't supposed to know where the family is hiding, has moved into the same apartment building to be close to her niece.

When the FBI agents on duty are killed and baby Pete is kidnapped, Zoey and Dante team up to find the little girl. Throw in the Gupta sisters, some grade 1A very, very fine mangra kesar, a mob hitman and his baby son and what you have is a fast read with lots of adventure and some romance.

For me, this book was just okay. I didn't feel the chemistry between Dante and Zoey, some of their thoughts and show more actions seemed a little immature. Their characters also seemed a little flat. I was put off by the language of the hit man -- I get it, he is a hitman -- but in one paragraph it seemed like every third word was **** this or that. I felt it just went a little overboard. The Gupta sisters did grow on me as I read on, and their bickering and stubbornness provided some comic relief. It was a cute story and had some twists, especially near the end, but it wasn't one of my favorites. Since this is a new author for me, I will try her again. show less

This was kind of funny and kind of sweet, but overall I enjoy the author's period books better and found this rather flat in comparison.