Do Not Disturb [Mass Market Paperback]

Christie Ridgway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.

Investigative reporter Angel Buchanan dug up a whopping surprise: The late "Artist of the Heart" Stephen Whitney -- famous for his family values -- was the father who'd abandoned her when she was four. And there's nothing like the reading of a will to bring people out of the woodwork, especially relatives you never knew you had...

...Such as the grieving widow and her sexpot twin sister...and a hunky man Angel is thrilled to learn is not any kind of cousin at all. He's C.J. Jones, the legendary lawyer determined to keep her quiet about her late, not-so-great deadbeat dad's secret life.

Angel knows he'll try to woo her into submission, but how can she resist? The setting: Tranquility House, a remote retreat containing plenty of private rooms and romantic hideaways. But how far will C.J. go to get what he wants? And, for that matter, how far will Angel?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christie Ridgway has never lived east of the Pacific Ocean, north of San Francisco, or south of San Diego. To put it simply, she's a California native who loves to travel but is happy to make the Golden State her home. She began her writing career in fifth grade when she penned a volume of love stories featuring herself and a teen idol who will probably be thrilled to remain nameless. Later, though, after marrying her college sweetheart, Christie again took up writing romances, this time with imaginary heroes and heroines. In a house full of males—one terrific husband, two school-age sons, a yellow dog, and tankfuls of fish, reptiles, and amphibians—Christie makes her own place (and peace) writing the kinds of stories she loves best.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006009348X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060093488
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christie Ridgway is a California native and author of over thirty contemporary romances. A five-time RITA finalist and USA Today bestselling author, she writes sexy, emotional reads starring determined heroines and the men who can't help but love them. Married to her college sweetheart, Christie lives in Southern California in a house filled with boys and pets. She writes as an escape from sports equipment, football on TV, and dog hair.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute..., February 25, 2005

By 

April M - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do Not Disturb (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought this book was a mildly amusing quick read, but there were a few things that kept me from really loving it. Maybe I'm being a little bit critical, but I thought it was annoying that the writer kept reminding us that the heroine (Angel) was supposedly "strong" and/or "tough" because she had a difficult childhood, yet every time she was around the hero (Cooper) she was falling over backward (literally) only to be rescued by him. I can understand it happening once, twice at a stretch, but I believe it happened more like five or six times. I understand that we're supposed to see it as a metaphor for the imbalance he was creating in her life, yada yada, but come on! We get it already! And for a writer on an assignment, Angel sure had an awful lot of time to spend playing cat-and-mouse with Cooper. When did she ever work?! I know, I know...it's only a story. But it's attention to details like that that make the difference between a good book and a great one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, May 4, 2004

By 

PJ (Cherry Hill, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do Not Disturb (Mass Market Paperback)

But then I love everything Christie Ridgway writes. "Do Not Disturb" is in keeping with all her stories, funny but with lots of emotion, too. Her characters always make me smile and always leave me feeling good. And her California settings make me want to book a vacation to the west coast ASAP. Can't recommend this author, or this book, enough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Artist of the Heart, September 3, 2006

By 

IndigoRaiyne (Aiken, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do Not Disturb (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the third book I've read by Christie Ridgway and I must say, I enjoyed it immensley. The story moved along at a good pace and all of the characters were quite likable. The relationship between Angel and Cooper was also well developed; as was the secondary relationship between Judd and Beth.

The only real problem I had with this book was the fact that the entire premise is that Angel is the daughter of Stephen Whitney, a Thomas Kincade type man, but his current family knows nothing of her existance. Upon his death, Angel travels to his home under the guise of writing a news article on his life.

Internally, the reader comes to know Angel and the life she led that made her bitter towards her father. The reader also finds out that Stephen was not really the saint his current wife and the world thought him to be; aside from being Angel's father, he was also involved with another woman.

None of this, however, is revealed to the characters in the book. Angel comes to terms with her daddy issues, but the reaction of his family is never discussed. The only mention comes in an epiloug and is basically summed up with the sentence "Stephen's family accepted her with open arms" or some such drivel.

Other than that, the book is enjoyable and enteraining. Christie Ridgway is quickly making her way onto my 'must read' list.