Mr. November - Lori Foster (HT #856 - Nov 2001)

Series: Men to the Rescue (Book 5)

SHE NEEDED HIM FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Amanda Barker had to have firefighter Josh Marshall. With his sexy body, killer smile, and incredible reputation as a lady's man, he'd sell a million of her fund-raising calendars. But Josh wasn't cooperating, and he wasn't playing fair....

HE NEEDED HER FOR...OTHER GOOD THINGS

If there was one thing Josh knew, it was that where there's smoke there's fire. And Ms. Amanda Barker was smokin'. Over and over, he'd refused her requests to pose for a calendar, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. And neither would he when he laid out the rules: he'd agree to meet her needs, if she agreed to meet his....

Very good book. He is one of Zack's friends in Treat Her Right, and well known as a ladies man. In that book he complained about a woman who is relentlessly pursuing him to get him to pose for her charity calendar. That pursuit continues in this book, as Josh does his best to dodge her request. But when she tracks him down and follows him into the fire station locker room, he has something other than the calendar on his mind. So he makes a bargain with her - he'll pose for her calendar if she'll go out with him.

I liked Josh. It was pretty funny to see a guy who is so into his playboy lifestyle be so reluctant to flaunt his attributes. But it turns out that there's more to Josh than we've seen before. He's not real happy to be looked at as a sex object rather than be appreciated for the job he does. But it's a good cause, and if he can use it to get closer to Amanda, that's what he'll do. It's not going to be as easy as he thought, because under her prissy exterior is a woman who is determined to deny herself what he is offering.

Amanda has issues from her past that have her spending her free time paying for what she sees as an unforgivable mistake. She sees herself as unable and undeserving of what Josh is looking for. Her earlier experiences with men have only served to strengthen those feelings.

I loved the development of their relationship. Josh quickly catches on that there is more to Amanda's resistance than he had thought. It was sweet to see the way that he backed off and tried to get her to tell him what was wrong. Amanda was convinced that when he knew her secret he would be gone, and was stunned when she was wrong. His reaction to what she had gone through was a huge burst of protectiveness. I loved his plan on how to solve her problem, and his patience as they worked through it. Amanda was surprised at what a difference it made once the pressure was off, and they had a chance to get to know each other. It was fun to see her reactions at the calendar launch and she had to witness the women's reactions to Josh. There's a small bump in the road of their relationship when Josh appears to be distracted at work because of her, and a fire call feeds some of Amanda's fears. The ending was hot and romantic as Amanda breaks free of her past and Josh finally finds what he's been searching for.

I loved having Mick and Del, and Zack and Wynn have appearances in this book. After all the teasing that Josh laid on them, it was really fun to see him on the receiving end. It was also wonderful to see their concern for him. Seeing all three couples happy together in the epilogue was a great wrap up.

Treat Her Right - Lori Foster (HT #852 - Oct 2001)

Series: Men to the Rescue (Book 4)

MAYBE OPPOSITES ATTRACT...

Paramedic Zack Grange was in the market for a wife, but not just any wife. He wanted the perfect role model for his little girl. When Wynn Lane moved in next door, he could state exactly what he didn't want in a wife. No brash, unorthodox amazons need apply! But that was just the father in him talking; the man said "bring it on!"

AND MAYBE THEY DON'T.

Wynn was no shrinking violet and she wasn't about to change for Zack Grange. Not that he'd asked her. Still, she would have liked to think he saw her as more than a sexy playmate...maybe even loved her half as much as his daughter did....

Fun book. Zack is a single dad to a four year old girl. He wants to marry again and give his daughter a mother. But with his schedule as a paramedic and his definite ideas on what he wants, he hasn't had much success in his search. Wynn is thrilled to have her own place to live after sharing with a couple roommates. She'd love to find a man who will love her for who she is, but isn't very hopeful right now. 

I loved their first meeting. Zack is awakened after a long night on duty by the racket of someone moving in next door. He looks out the window to see a tall, beautiful woman and a big man moving boxes and arguing all the way. He's struck by her height and the physicality of the relationship between them. Before he can back away from the window, his daughter Dani calls out to the new people and Wynn and her companion come over for coffee and introductions. Zack is attracted to Wynn, but somewhat put off by her attitude. However, he can't deny his daughter's fascination with her new friend. Wynn is just as attracted to Zack, which surprises her. She's used to being around fit, good-looking men and they've never affected her like that. She's so unsettled that she behaves even more outrageously than usual. She senses Zack's attraction, but can also see that he's not happy about it.

I liked Zack. He's a terrific father to little Dani. I loved seeing the macho man brushing her hair and taking her shopping. She is the center of his world. He wants to find a wife that is more of a girly-girl to offset the influence of being raised by a man and his bachelor friends. His reaction to Wynn throws a kink in those plans. It was fun to see him fight his feelings, as he demonstrates a bit of possessiveness and protectiveness, while at the same time trying to stay away from her. I got a little frustrated with his obsession about her size, as though that would keep her from being a good mom. 

I loved Wynn. She's a woman who is mostly comfortable in her own skin, confident in her own abilities. She is attracted to Zack from the beginning and makes no secret of it, checking him out the same way that men look at women. Her heart gets involved as she sees how wonderful he is with Dani and she dreams of what it would be like to have them both in her life. 

I loved seeing the relationship progress as Zack starts to realize that though she may not be what he was looking for, she is what his heart wants. I really loved the scene with the ladder, where those feelings start to become obvious to others if not to himself. Wynn was a goner almost from the beginning, but she worried that he would never see her as more than a playmate. She had a few insecurities of her own that fed into that fear and it was fun to see Zack overcome them. I loved their scene when he found her sleeping in the hammock. I loved seeing him realize the truth about his feelings, though he almost ruined it all with some of the things she overheard him say. The ending was really good.

I also enjoyed the relationship Zack had with Mick and Josh. It was really fun to see them teasing each other about various things. I felt a little bit bad for Josh when he lost out on getting Wynn for himself, just as he had with Mick's wife. I'm looking forward to his story.