Customer Reviews

Do Not Disturb

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Angel Buchanan is an investigative reporter and takes the opportunity to investigate her father's death. Of course no-one knows that he's her father and she wants to get revenge on his squeaky clean image as "Artist of the Heart". When she gets embroiled in the family and meets C J Jones, an ex-lawyer who had some heart attacks and decided to change his life.

She finds that her preconceptions of her father and his second family are shaky and that she has to ask herself what she wants for the future.

It's not a bad read, but I felt that sometimes Angel wasn't very believable as a journalist. The relationship between her and CJ was quite believable and touching. Some of the other relationships were quite believable as well. The story was just not all that strong.

While I have a few quibbles about undeveloped secondary plots/characters, I have to say that I absolutely loved the hero and heroine of this contemporary romance. The setting and premise were unusual and the author's use of humor showed through. The heroine, Angel, was tough but not one of the "kick-a@$" heroines I have grown to loathe. She's had a difficult past but it doesn't keep her from following her dreams and goals. She doesn't wallow in self-pity. And the hero, Cooper, was sexy, sweet, and a guy who loves his family - a real keeper. I read this book in just two sittings and very much enjoyed it.

This book took me by surprise. I was perusing the book shelves, desperate for a good read, when I saw the cover and decided to take a chance on an author who was unknown to me. I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed the budding relationship between Connor and Angel. The humour was refreshing, the plot was well-developed, the characters were charming and the novel was well written. I'll be looking for more from Ms. Ridgeway

This is the first time I've ever read Christie Ridgway and boy was I impressed! Her use of language was wonderful. And Angel, the heroine of the story was endearing. I felt like I was rooting for her from the very beginning. Cooper was a delight; I saw him in my dreams a couple of times!! I read the book over the weekend, and would highly recommend it to all of my friends.

I have always enjoyed Christie Ridgway's humor--I've read everything she's written. She has every right to strike out in a different direction but the cover of the book shouldn't be a cartoon promising a romp--not that that is Ms. Ridgway's fault.

The hero and heroine begin as very interesting characters. I loved the description of the heroine and what she was like at the beginning. Then she changed, became dull, wandering.

This book almost seems like an very early effort (obviously unpublished) with a rewritten and excellent beginning and a great ending. In between, there is a lifeless secondary plot and little resolution of the heroine's problem with her father.

If you want to enjoy a good read, try her other books.

This was a fun romance with periods of angst and self discovery. Angel Buchanan was searching for the truth about her natural father, Stephen Whitney upon his recent death. He was a world reknown "Artist of the Heart" with a reputation for paintings resembling a cross between Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol who left her when she was 4 years old. She crashes his funeral under the guise of wanting to write a story on Whitney for a west coast magazine. She meets Cooper Jones, brother to Stephen Whitney's widow at the funeral. She learns that her accommodations have been set up at Tranquility House, his family's retreat which is a conclave of cottages with no speaking, electronic devices, meat or caffeine allowed and tofu reigns supreme at every meal, much to her chagrin.

Angel's burgeoning relationship with Cooper is against both of their rules. Cooper has survived two heart attacks from heredity and a previously stressful life as a high powered criminal defense attorney. Angel does not trust men due to her abandonment issues from her father. Cooper wants to protect his family at all costs. He agrees to Angel doing a story on Whitney, although he is not completely trusting of the outcome in terms of his family's welfare. The sideline relationships with Whitney's previous relationships to the other family members make for interesting diversions to the main characters' romance.

When reporter Angel Buchanan's father, famous and celebrated "Artist of the Heart," Stephen Whitney, dies in a car accident, the world mourns the loss of such an immense talent and dedicated family man. What a crock! The man might have been a fabulous painter, but he was anything but dedicated to family. Angel should know, for she is his daughter -- the one he abandoned twenty-three years ago when he left her mother. Determined to expose the truth about the two-faced phony -- and boost her career at the same time -- Angel tries to get close to his family under the pretense of writing a positive article. At first, things go just as she planned, then two problems arise that threaten everything: 1) Angel's growing attraction to the grieving widow's brother, Cooper Jones, who is more than a little suspicious of her and seems to be keeping secrets of his own, and 2) Angel begins to like her father's other family, especially her teenage half-sister, Katie.

From the very beginning, the reader empathizes with Angel's desire to show the world the truth about her father. The pain and confusion of the little girl whose beloved father left without explanation is evident in the adult Angel has become. Due to his death, she has questions that can never be answered. When she sets out to expose her father, the reader roots for her. After all, it seems only fair. Later, when Angel gets to know her father's second family and begins questioning her original intent, the reader struggles with her. Yeah, the new family seems very nice, but allowing him to keep his sterling reputation -- well, where's the justice in that? Furthermore, the man was a public figure, and as such, doesn't the public have a right to know? Doesn't she owe it to her job to write the truth? I appreciated the author's handling of her quandary, because life is seldom black and white, and the line between what is right and what is best are not always easy to see.

Cooper has his own issues to deal with. His father, after receiving a clean bill of health from the doctors, died in Cooper's arms while the two were on a camping trip years ago. Now an adult and about the age his father was when he died, Cooper has already had one heart attack and fears that history is about to repeat itself. Because of his fear, he has avoided relationships and walked away from the job and life he loved. Angel's appearance on the scene stirs up feelings and emotions he has tried to suppress. For different reasons, both Angel and Cooper are afraid of being left alone again, and just as afraid to stay.

Secondary characters are well developed and act as more than filler for the story. As in real life, each has his or her own quirks, fears, faults and strengths. I especially liked Angel's half-sister, Katie. While the romance has the requisite happily-ever-after, not all issues are neatly and satisfactorily wrapped up. Though this bothered me at first, upon further reflection the author's choice seems the more realistic and appropriate decision. We don't always get the answers we want, so we have to adjust, deal with our disappointment and move on.

Witty, warm and wonderful, DO NOT DISTURB is a light-hearted story, but definitely not a shallow one. I highly recommend it.