"Another humorous tale by Holly Jacobs"
Holly Jacobs brings her own brand of comedy to a story
about that latest craze... reality games, in Pickup Lines. Mary is a kindergarten teacher who has lived a pretty
ordinary life for as long as she can remember... nothing
crazy, nothing unusual, just perfectly common everyday
events happening to her. She had been looking forward to a
summer vacation of doing nothing more strenuous then
sitting on the beach at Presque Isle all day, every day,
reading her favorite books. Until the day her ancient car
dies. Fortunately for her, things are looking up. She is a
finalist in WLVH -- Love Handles "Where love is more then
just a song" contest to win a brand new pickup truck.
Ethan Westbrook has no desire to compete in a game for the
radio station, but his father convinces him this is the
perfect publicity stunt to draw more attention to their
small family-owned pharmacy store chain. He has no
interest in living in a pickup, or even winning the truck,
but gives in to his father and decides it's worth it to
bring attention to the business. All Ethan and Mary have to do is live in a pickup truck
day and night until the other one gives up and gets out.
The last person in the truck wins the game and the
vehicle. Mary desperately needs this truck though she'd
never admit that to hunky Ethan, and he wants to win so he
can get more business for the stores. Neither one expected
that forced proximity would be the start of quite an
attraction between the two of them. But what happens when
the contest is over? Will their newfound feelings outlast
the game? Or is it all just a result of the close living
quarters? As always, Ms. Jacobs' book is full of situational comedy
and lots of laughs. Her unique humor is always guaranteed
to add sparkle to whatever she decides to write about.
Only she can take something like a reality show and turn
it into a cute romantic story. The plot is kept relatively
simple, so the primary focus can be on the characters.
Mary thinks of herself as a Plain Jane, but she's happy in
the life she's chosen. Her mother has always been too much
of a free spirit for her, and Mary swore she would not be
like her mother. She even went so far as to change her
name to something simple and boring to make her life the
way she wanted it. She takes joy in her life with her
students but is thrilled for a chance to relax, even if it
is not quite the way she had expected it. When love opens
her eyes to the world around her, she realizes that maybe
it isn't so bad to be a little carefree after all. Ethan
comes off as stiff and boring in the beginning, only
caring about the business and how this contest can help
his pharmacies. But as we get to know him, we find there
is more to him then meets the eye. Before the end of the
book, he loosens up considerably and readers will find out
he's not at all the staid professional he tries to make
everyone think he is. Readers will even find a nice secondary romance here, in
Ethan and Mary's parents. Also of interest, is the not so
obvious relationship between Punch and Judy, the disk
jockeys hosting the contest. These two have sparks flying
so much that one can't help but wonder if it is all an act
put on for their listeners. This reviewer thinks there
could be an interesting story here with these two
characters. Readers are in for a treat with this story. What better
way to while away a few hours then by reading this quick,
easy, funny read? © Kelley A. Hartsell, March 2005. All rights reserved.
Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted August 24, 2005
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