Don’t Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Lucy Armstrong loves directing dog food commercials, but when her sister begs her to come and finish the feature film she’s working on, Lucy reluctantly agrees. But when she arrives on the set, she finds the staff demoralized, the actors out of control and the movie needs a lot more work than the four days she agreed to. But the most infuriating thing of all, was a Green Beret her lead actor hired as an advisor. Captain J.T. Wilder thought he was in for some easy money and then figured the attractive director was a bonus. But soon he learned that he was involved in his most dangerous mission to date. Now it’s up to J.T. save Lucy, her sister and the rest of the movie before everyone winds up dead.

I’ve waited nearly a year to read this book and even longer since to read a Crusie book, because Jennifer hasn’t released anything new for a while. But this one was worth the wait. Much of the story line is classic Crusie, while you can definitely tell Meyer’s influences. I can’t wait to read the next book. Highly recommended.

Details: St. Martin's, May 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Steaminess Factor: yummy

Santa Baby by Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster, and Carly Phillips

In Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie, Trudy Maxwell finds herself looking for the hottest toy for her nephew on Christmas Eve. Unable to find it, she starts dumping toys from the shelves hoping that someone put it on the wrong shelf. But when she finds last year’s version, two men offer to buy it from her for big bucks. When she refuses to sell, the two men drag her into a dangerous adventure and force her to choose sides. Now Trudy must decide which man is telling the truth or she may lose more than her nephew’s toy.

In Christmas Bonus by Lori Foster, Maggie Carmichael finds herself in charge of her father’s company after his death. Eric Bragg is in love with Maggie even though she’s ten years his junior and the president of the company, but he ignores her because he doesn’t want her to think he’s only after her for the money. Now it’s up to Maggie to make the first move and a sprig of Mistletoe might be just the answer she’s looking for.

In Naughty Under the Mistletoe by Carly Phillips, Antonia Larson decides to go after the hunky partner in the law firm where she works and arranges to meet him under the mistletoe. Maxwell Corbin shows up at the Christmas party because his father and brother insisted, but when a mysterious stranger gives him the kiss of the lifetime, he can’t help but wonder if the kiss was intended for his brother. Now that Toni knows that Maxwell isn’t the guy she wanted to seduce, will she let herself be whisked away on the basis of a single kiss?

I can’t believe that Jennifer managed to pack such a powerful story into such a short space, while Lori’s and Carly’s stories manage to pump the heat up as high as you can get. If you’re looking for a set of three intense short stories, bump this book to the top of your stack. You won’t be disappointed.

Details: St. Martins, November 2006

can’t believe that Jennifer managed to pack such a powerful story into such a short space, while Lori’s and Carly’s stories manage to pump the heat up as high as you can get. If you’re looking for a set of three intense short stories, bump this book to the top of your stack. You won’t be disappointed.

Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie

Fresh from her divorce, Nina Askew is looking forward to living her own life for a change. Instead of living the life that her husband’s job demanded, she has her own job, her own apartment, and she even has her own dog named Fred. Now she finds herself one flight up from Alex Moore, an ER doctor who’s being pressured to conform to his family’s expectations, who’s ten years younger. But can the ER doc bridge the gap between them or will Fred be forced to come to the rescue

Fresh from her divorce, Nina Askew is looking forward to living her own life for a change. Instead of living the life that her husband’s job demanded, she has her own job, her own apartment, and she even has her own dog named Fred. Now she finds herself one flight up from Alex Moore, an ER doctor who’s being pressured to conform to his family’s expectations, who’s ten years younger. But can the ER doc bridge the gap between them or will Fred be forced to come to the rescue

Details: HQN, November 2006

Bottom line: A great book