I don’t usually whine, but occasionally something good comes of it. I whined on Sybil’s blog a while back when she talked about reading When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys, and HelenKay Dimon graciously offered to send me a copy.
Lori Foster, “Playing Doctor”
Attitude makes a huge difference in bed. It could be Axel Dean’s motto. The sexy physician likes his women with sensual moxie, and Libby Preston definitely seems to fit that bill. There’s the naughty grin. That hot bod. Her eager kisses and cheeky insults. Her . . . admitted virginity. Whoa. Okay, cue cold shower. Axel may not be an honorable man, but he has his limits. Except Libby won’t take no for an answer. She’s determined to have someone show her what she’s been missing, and suddenly, Axel can’t bear to think of Libby playing doctor with anyone else . . .
Erin McCarthy, “The Lady of the Lake”
Pro baseball player Dylan Diaz is pretty sure he’s going to hell. When you rescue a drowning woman from a lake your first thought should be, “Are you okay?” not, “Can I make mad, passionate love to you?” But the minute sputtering kindergarten teacher Violet Caruthers is on Dylan’s boat, that’s all he can think about. Maybe it’s the potent combo of a nun’s personality inside a stripper’s body. Maybe it’s the way she drives him crazy with desire and laughter. Or maybe, Dylan’s finally found what’s been missing in his life, and he’s not about to let go . . .
HelenKay Dimon, “Hardhats and Silk Stockings”
Hannah Bridges is the most infuriating woman architect Whit Thomas has ever met–and the sexiest. If he could just get the tough contractor to stop proving himself at every turn, they might have time to discuss more important things, like his hands on her . . . blueprints. What Hannah needs right now is a night of pure bliss that’s all about her: no regrets, no control, no limits. Now, in a private room where pleasure is the only goal, Hannah is about to receive a delicious education in total ecstasy . . .
I have to admit that Lori Foster is a hit and miss author for me. In this case, “Playing Doctor” was a hit: 4 out of 5. This story works mainly because of Axel–the man falls for Libby and he falls hard. When written well, this scenario is a joy to read. For the most part, “Playing Doctor” is fairly joyful.
Libby and Axel get involved very quickly, which isn’t surprising given the fact that it’s a novella. What’s a little more surprising is that they hadn’t met beforehand, although she knows who he is.
The back cover gives away the fact that Libby is a virgin. She didn’t seem unrealistic, though, which can happen with virginal heroines. And she doesn’t stay one for long.
Erin McCarthy’s “The Lady of the Lake” is the second story. I don’t think it’s a huge secret that I love McCarthy’s books, and this story is another winner. I want to know how she does it–she has such a gift with humor, and she starts the story with Violet falling off the back of her boyfriend’s boat. He doesn’t notice, but the situation as McCarthy describes it makes it funny:
Violet Caruthers had known that Frank wasn’t the most attentive of boyfriends. But if she had been asked, she would have thought that even he would have noticed that his girlfriend had fallen off the back of his fishing boat.
She would have been wrong.
From there, Violet is rescued by Dylan, who is instantly taken with her. This is another story where the man falls hard, and I really enjoyed it. It’s interesting to note that Violet and Dylan meet for the first time in this story just as Libby and Axel did in the previous one. It works better here, and it’s hard to explain why.
Violet has an interesting goal, which Dylan agrees to pretty quickly. I’m not sure if anyone but McCarthy could have pulled this one off, but it’s great: 4.5 out of 5.
“Hardhats and Silk Stockings” by HelenKay Dimon concludes the anthology. I’m a big fan of role-reversal stories; in this case, the heroine does construction. I’m no expert, but the setting and situations seemed realistic to me. In some stories, the way a character’s work is described ends up being jarring and unrealistic. That wasn’t the case here. Nothing like that pulled me out of the story.
Hannah is pitch-perfect as a woman who conceals her body because of the field she’s in and who conceals her heart because someone close to her has hurt her. I thought she held out just a little too long, but it made sense in context.
Whit is terrific, a man who knows who he wants and pursues her. Some might view him as calculating, but I saw it as knowing Hannah–she wouldn’t have responded to conventional wooing, so he tries something a little unconventional. 
All in all, a strong story: 4.5 out of 5.
March 27th, 2006 by 
Alyssa
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