Customer Reviews

By Appointment Only

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The latest book by Janice Maynard is By Appointment Only. This is a very hot, erotic read which has been done within an unusual but interesting concept.

Hannah Quarles and Morgan Webber meet in a very unusual way, but the heat and sparks are evident from the very first. Even though on their first meeting Hannah has told Morgan she doesn't think much of the institution of marriage, Morgan is intrigued with her. After coming to know her he can well understand her reasoning, but feels like he has been handed the world when she agrees to become his fiancée. Getting her to set a wedding date becomes another thing altogether.

Morgan will do anything to prove to Hannah that things are not always the way her preconceived notions have led her to believe. When Hannah suggests they attend new cutting edge premarital sexual counselling, he is reluctant, but agrees. It is at the initial group meeting that we are introduced to two other couples who each have their own problems and reasons for coming to counselling. The reader is taken on a sensual read as each couple works through their problems, which is an added bonus.

Hannah has so much baggage entering into this relationship that the reader is pulling for her to realize that she really loves Morgan and that each person is different and she should take a chance. There are bumps along the way, but the question is can they weather Hannah's fears and will she realize that marriage is what you put into it. The secondary characters of the couples add more spice and heat to the book. Hannah's elderly friend, Elda is another secondary character that the reader can't help but love, and someone that Hannah can always count on.

This is an interesting, hot read from beginning to end. Janice has woven many facets into this story, and I am sure it will appeal to her many readers.

In downtown Orlando, Hannah Quarles races out of a church almost knocking over passerby Morgan Webber, who thinks she is a runaway bride as she apologizes and races across the street while car horns explode. However, he reappraises his first impression when no one races out of the church. She takes something from her car and runs back into the church. He follows only to see the elderly bride Miss Beverly needing her pills due to angina. Unable to resist, Morgan is in love although two minutes earlier he would have scorned the notion of at first sight.

Morgan begins to court Hannah, but though she seems to like him too, she hides her feelings behind a veneer of cynical acerbic humor. Eventually he gets her to admit she loves him too. They become engaged, but she suffers from commitment phobia so they go for premarital counseling, but will that and his love be enough to persuade Hannah not to become a runaway bride.

Tying heat with jocularity, Janice Maynard provides an engaging contemporary romance in which the hero knows what he wants from their first nudging encounter while the heroine fears what she wants. These two protagonists, supported by a strong secondary cast mostly the energetic geriatric generation, make for a fun time in Orlando.

Harriet Klausner

Morgan Webber and Hannah Quarles are newly engaged. Hannah loves Morgan very much and she can't even begin to imagine what her life would be like without him in it. She wants to be with him forever, but is concerned about marrying him. She is apprehensive that their being in love just might not be enough to make a marriage work. Morgan knows that what Hannah is feeling is real and is at a loss as to how to convince her that she needs to give him and marriage a try.

Lord help me but I wanted to smack Hannah more than once. She had one of the best men I have ever read about wanting to marry her. Morgan was loyal, honest, and in love with her. He adored Hannah and it showed. Their love scenes were poetically beautiful without being cliché. And while I enjoyed the plot of By Appointment Only, I couldn't get past the female heroine being against marriage. The issues were real; that helped. I just wish I could have liked her more as my feelings for Hannah negated my feelings for By Appointment Only and I just couldn't wait for it to end.

Talia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Janice Maynard's By Appointment Only is a compelling story of the road to a wedding.

Morgan Webber is captivated with Hannah Quarles from the first time he sees her. She is running from a church then going right back in. This piques his interest so he goes inside to see what is going on with the mystery woman. Hannah is not the bride but a witness to two of her elderly clients. Hannah and Morgan share a searing kiss that day and six months later they are engaged.

But Hannah can't commit to setting a wedding date. In her experience marriage isn't the happy ever after that it's made out to be. Hannah does love Morgan deeply so she agrees to pre marital sex therapy. Each session brings out sides of each other that they hadn't seen before. The sessions push them to explore their sexual boundaries.

As Morgan and Hannah explore their sexual side they are learning valuable things about each other. Both will realize how much they love and respect each other.

By Appointment Only is outstanding. Hannah and Morgan road to romance is filled with twist and turns. Their chemistry sparks off every page. Two other couples involved in the group sessions add another dimension to this book, they show romance at different phases in life. Janice Maynard turns in another fine book that should be on everyone's list of books to buy.

Running out of a church like a runaway bride, Hannah Quarles smacks into Morgan Webber. Without stopping, she runs to her car, locates an item and dashes back into the church. From that moment, Morgan is smitten. Pursuing Hannah, he breaks down her defenses until she admits she loves him too. Soon, they become engaged, against Hannah's better judgment as she's skittish when it comes to marriage.

Thinking premarital sexual counseling will solve their problems, they sign up. Soon Hannah learns that marriage just may be more sensually fulfilling than any of her pessimistic preconceived notions, and when the unexpected occurs, she realizes marriage might also be something worth fighting for.

Start with a sultry but cynical heroine. Mix in a patient but scorching hero, quirky elderly characters and scenes that will either have the reader laughing out loud or reaching for the ice to cool down. Finally add a dash of secondary couples that will tug on your heartstrings. The end result is a page-turner that contains all the ingredients for a sexy, fun-loving read.