Customer Reviews

Dear Cupid

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since her divorce, Kate Bradshaw's online column "Dear Cupid" hasn't been scoring any points with her readers and the owner of the online magazine that runs her column threatened to cancel her if she didn't put the fun back into her romance advice. Kate needed to take control and regain her carefree spirit she'd lost in recent years. What better way than to find a man to make romance fun again. She didn't want a serious relationship, just someone to flirt with. Looking around, she spied Mike......

Mike Cameron believed in love at first sight, but he never found the "right girl" for himself. His job as a movie animator didn't help since he worked about sixteen hours a day. Relaxing, eyes closed, waiting for his flight at L.A. airport, Mike began thinking of marriage. His thoughts were interrupted when a woman spilled her purse at his feet. Upon opening his eyes, Mike found himself face to face with the most enchanting woman he had ever seen. He knew at that moment that she was the "right girl" and he intended to convince her that she would be very happy as Mrs. Mike Cameron.

Once again, Ms. Ortolon has delivered a well-written and delightful novel. Her characters are well-developed and there is much interaction among all these characters. The leading lady, Kate Bradshaw, has much on her plate. She is trying to put her life back on track after divorce from workaholic who had no time for his family. Her seven-year old son, Dylan, suffers with asthma and her confidence level is at an all-time low. Mike Cameron is the perfect hero for this story. Not brash or crude, he is caring, considerate and very patient with Kate, allowing her the time she needs to heal, but he is very determined to win her heart. You will just love the way he wins approval from Kate's little boy. Mike is so easy going you can't help but love him!

If you want to read a very good story try this one. And then try Julie's previous novel "Drive Me Wild". This author is now on my auto-buy list. Thank you Julie for many hours of reading pleasure.

Kate has turned bitter and taken to a bit of male-bashing... not an ideal situation for an online romance columnist. While waiting for a flight back home, she decides to practice her rusty flirting skills on an unsuspecting man in a loud Hawaiian shirt. He happens to be Michael Cameron, a highly respected and talented movie animator. For him, it's love at first sight. While Kate feels an attraction, she wants nothing more to do with him. Mike devises a plan to spend more time with Kate, even though the pretense is so thin both can see right through it. While Kate's life slowly falls apart, Mike tries to convince Kate to believe in herself again.

This is a fairly straightforward, predictable read. At first, Kate comes off as shallow and selfish, with her love of nice clothes and a nice home, and an attraction to powerful men. It is almost as if she doesn't know herself, because Mike might have it all, but that isn't why she falls for him. She also cares more about her son than anything else, willing to give up on her own dream to make sure that Dylan is protected and cared for. While Kate worries that Mike will disappoint Dylan like his father has, and Mike isn't sure he really wants anything to do with another man's child, Dylan is ultimately the reason they can come together to form a big, happy family.

Julie Ortolon does it again! Just like her first book, Drive Me Wild, her new book has an orginal plot and has a flirty, sexy, sweet,humorous tone all rolled into one! Again the author appeals to me by writing sexy scenes without being "graphic." It was also nice to read about familiar places in my home state of Texas. Her heroine Kate is an e-zine columnist who has become down on men since her divorce. Kate's boss Gwen hints that if Kate doesn't quit writing columns and advice e-mails that are so negative on love, that Kate will be out of job. Kate decides to be a little crazy and flirt with movie animator Michael Cameron in an airport. He winds up pursuing her under the phony notion that he wants Kate to help him find a wife (through her friend's business called Wife For Hire), when of course he wants Kate to become his wife. The author does a superb job of showing sexual tension between the two that keeps you turning the pages. Julie Ortolon also makes the reader really FEEL what the characters feel, such as when the author reveals Kate's feelings on divorce and about Kate's son Dylan, who has asthma. Great contemporary romance - I'm going to tell all my friends to read this book!

"Dear Cupid" is a charming contemporary romance featuring good writing, well-developed characters, and a decently-developed romance.

The heroine, Kate, is a feisty but vulnerable single mother dealing with the after-effect of a tough divorce. While it can be easy for an author to deal in a shallow way with the impact a divorce can have on self-esteem, Ortolon does a really good job of developing Kate and having her deal with her reactions and fears in a realistic and legitimate way.

The hero, Michael, is everything you want in a contemporary romance hero. He is caring, patient, and deals well with Kate's charming-but-sometimes-difficult son, Dylan. And he's so very appealing and sweet.

Ortolon puts a lot of effort into displaying Kate's fears and in showing Michael's attempts to overcome those fears. Unfortunately, I almost felt as if the issues melted away in a really opportune sort of way. One common weakness in romance novels is that the issues between a couple suddenly disappear, and voila! Everything's golden. The same issue applies to a secondary romance between two of Kate's friends.

That said, this is a wonderful, amusing but deep read for any romance reader. In the end, we read romances because we want to celebrate all the joy that can come with a successful romance, and this book gives us all of that.

With this book, I've now read all of Ms Ortolon's books to-date and she is a consistently enjoyable read.

Mike Cameron is a computer/sci-fi geek (he reminded me a bit of my brother-in-law!) and works as a computer animations/special effects expert in the movie biz. A handsome, sweet, good natured, often boyish, genuinely nice guy who falls hard when he meets Kate Bradshaw while waiting for a flight. He's just come from his 20th high school reunion and has been re-evaluating his life. While he loves his job (maybe a little too much), he realizes that there is a hole in his life that needs to be filled - with a wife and maybe a kid or two. And just as this realization dawns, a woman drops her purse right at his feet. After helping her collect her belongings, he looks up into her green eyes and his mind turns to mush.

Kate writes romance advice column "Dear Cupid" but lately her advice has been cynical and caustic (especially toward men) and if she doesn't get some romance back into her attitude, her column will be canceled. Kate is a divorced, single mom to 7-year-old Dylan with an ex who was (and still is) more interested in his career than his family. No wonder she's bitter! Her editor's threat prompts Kate to see if she still has it in her to flirt shamelessly with a man, and the next thing you know, she's dropping her purse at a very attractive man's feet!

After flirting openly with him, she practically runs away, but Mike finds a business card that fell out of her purse that will lead him to Kate. Sensing that she's a bit prickly, instead of asking her out directly, he asks her to turn him into "marriage material" and to help find him a wife. He just doesn't tell her that she's the wife he has in mind!

While Mike was completely lovable, Kate unfortunately comes across a bit of a shrew at times. Her "all men are alike" attitude made no sense when anyone could see that Mike was nothing like her ex. And I understood her concern for her son, but her over-protectiveness of asthmatic Dylan often had the effect of humiliating him in front of others. Luckily Mike was more laid back (a nice counter-balance to Kate) and Dylan discovers he has more in common with him than with his own father. But Kate worries about her son becoming too attached to a man who may not stick around for the long haul. Well, if she thinks that, she's doesn't know Mike very well!

One thing I didn't get was why a guy who was born and raised in Santa Monica, CA and who works in the movie business would move from LA to Austin, TX! Seemed strange to me. Anyway a very enjoyable read!

Heroine: solid, generously endowed young mother

Take Kate Bradshaw, one spunky, fiery-haired, cat-eyed Romance columnist. (Think Renee Russo meets Marilyn Monroe.) Give her a messy divorce from an apathetic husband, and threaten to take away her job--the only way for her to provide for her sickly young son. When her confidence is sufficiently shaken, put her in airport full of men she'll never see again and watch this normally self-assured and self-possessed woman test herself to see if she's still got "IT" by using one of the oldest tricks in the book: a very hot variation on the old bump-into-a-gorgeous-guy-and-dump-your-purse-at-his-feet stunt.

Now take one haplessly unaware handsome man and put him in Kate's cross-hairs. Special effects wizard Mike Cameron (a Kevin Costner/Judge Reinhold amalgam) is simply minding his own business while waiting for his flight, reflecting upon the state of his long-term bachelorhood and finding it somewhat lacking. For the first time in his life he's giving serious thought to settling down. But how does he go about finding the right woman for himself? It's not as though she'll just fall into his lap, right?

What worked for me:
 This was a fun couple; I really liked the interaction between Kate and Mike. Kate had no qualms about possessing such a classically feminine shape, and seemed very comfortable with herself. Mike certainly loved the way she looked... Watching Mike pursue Kate was very enjoyable. I know I certainly wouldn't mind having a man like that chase after me!
There was also a very sweet secondary romance which I think might be interesting to explore as a prequel to this book, as well as potential for turning Kate into Cupid a few more times for Mike's three sisters.

What didn't work for me:
Kate was understandably skittish about getting into a relationship again, especially since doing so put her young son's heart at risk as much as it did hers. But it still took her an _awfully_ long time to give in to her feelings.

Overall:
I really loved this book! It was fresh and funny with a unique approach. The little "Dear Cupid" letters at the opening of each chapter were wonderful, and the one at the end of the book was the best of all. :^) A great bubble bath book, but be forewarned that you'll spend a lot of time laughing so beware the danger of drowning yourself during a giggle fit.

Brimming with optimism and a cheerful outlook on life, this fun love story is just the thing to put you in a brighter mood on even your worst days. You'll be anxious for the hero and heroine to finally "get together", and you'll enjoy every step along the way to its fruition. With such an upbeat style and professional presentation, it's no wonder so many readers flock to the author.

Julie Ortolon does it again with another heart-felt and funny book. Fans of Ms. Ortolon's Drive Me Wild will certainly enjoy her second book as well. What do I love best about this book? It's humorous and fun, but doesn't pull any emotional punches. Kate Bradshaw and Michael Cameron feel like real people with genuine problems. Their developing relationship will tug at your heart and tickle your funny bone. Being from Austin myself, naturally, I loved the setting! She portrays Central Texas as it really is: fun, beautiful, and with more computer programers than cowboys.
If you like romantic comedy, you'll love Kate and Michael's story!

Dear Cupid is the online advice column Kate writes. She has just come from an interview with her boss where she's being told that unless she changes her ways with her writing, her column will be stopped. With a 7 year old asthmatic son, divorced Kate needs the income and the job and is worried.

On her way home, in the airport, Kate realizes that she is burnt out on men from her failed marriage and hasn't really been her usually perky and flirty self for a couple of years. Perhaps this is affecting her Dear Cupid column? She decides to try and see if she can still turn on her flirty self successfully... and the man she tries it on is Mike... who has never been married.

There is a spark during the flirtation pushed by Kate... and then, they both go their separate ways.

In this fun romance... good friends watch and add to the fun of the story as Mike tries to get Cupid to work on the Dear Cupid column writer.

A quick, easy read... enjoyable romantic fluff with moments of laughter.

This author makes the "love at first sight" theme work. Who wouldn't want to meet a guy like Mike? Smart, rich, techno savvy, handsome, an all around perfect guy.... but wait, AND he wants to date you with every intention to marry you! When Mike meets Kate, a single mother with a near failing love advice web column, he falls in love with her. Through fate and Mike's doing, Mike employs Kate with the job of changing him into marriage material. However, Kate doesn't know that his prospective bride is herself. Mike lets Kate remodel his home (almost bringing down the ceiling, lol) and purchase his wardrobe. A very good book! Makes us wonder: a girl can always dream....