"Three interrelated fun contemporary romances"

Preface. Tess Truesdale, founder and editor in chief of Tess magazine, assigns specific projects to her three lead writers to provide articles on how to find the right rich male.

Rapid Transit by Elizabeth Bevarly. Julia Miles is assigned speed dating. The sweet woman finds her first few partners boring within nanoseconds. However, she does find Daniel 9 quite interesting; he reciprocates as Julia is the only one whose company he enjoys that night. Neither knows the other's occupation, but each is attracted to the other. Daniel Taggert is a contributor to Cavalier Magazine writing an article on speed dating.

The Ex Factor by Tracy Kelleher. Abby Lewis is to write on second chance at love. She contacts her former boyfriend Brad Wahlberg who dumped her. They begin a relationship, which her long time friend photographer Ned Devlin disapproves of.

Brewing Up Trouble by Mary Leo. Samantha Porter tests coffeehouse dating. At Rio Jackson's place she meets wealthy realtor Jason Rocket. They sizzle, which she tells her email pal chemist Anthony Bertuzzi who lives in Milan, Italy. However, when someone sends white roses and obtains her a seat at a special Italian designers' fashion show, she assumes it is her new lover; it turns out it isn't, but who then?

These three interrelated novellas are fun contemporary romances starring likable protagonists and friendly male rivals with each female not realizing that love has arrived.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted January 16, 2006

Summary

Welcome to alternative dating . . . the tenth circle of hell DATING RULE #1 Keep an open mind . . . and your phone number handy. It started simply enough. The editor of Tess Magazine demanded an assignment about dating practices for the urban set. Something fun. Something sexy. Something that the three women working on the article -- Julia, Samantha and Abby -- could research and really get into. DATING RULE #2 Engage your reader. If he's hot, buy him a drink. Suddenly Julia seems smitten with a stranger she met during a speed-dating session. Samantha's research into coffeehouse dating is less engaging than the naughty e- mails she's been getting from her "pen pal" in Italy. And Abby is too busy dealing with her new "roommate" -- an Irish photographer who looks like sex in pants -- to get much work done. So how do you write about relationships when your own love life looks like something caught in the garbage disposal?