Dream Guy (Warner Forever) [Mass Market Paperback]

Candy Halliday (Author)

Book Description

Series: Warner Forever | Publication Date: February 1, 2005

Video game designer Annie Long decides if she can't find the perfect man, she'll create him. Available on interactive DVD, Joe Video is the ideal boyfriend for the modern woman. But soon Matt, Annie's ex and boss, is proving himself to be more perfect than Joe Video ever could be. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Annie Long's boyfriend dumps her via videotape, a brilliant idea comes to her: if the perfect man doesn't exist, she'll create him. Halliday's modern-day Pygmalion fairy tale immediately turns techno, as Annie just happens to design video games for a living. Her boss, Matt, is less than thrilled with her outline for Joe Video, a man who always listens, doesn't steal the remote and even helps you discover your sensual side, but his disdain doesn't stop Joe Video from going over big with the corporate powers that be. Annie's triumph proves hard for Matt to swallow, especially since she has made it clear that Matt himself is far from the perfect man. True, he's looking for fun and she wants commitment, but that doesn't stop him from feeling territorial when the gorgeous guy she selects to play Joe Video starts putting the moves on her. As for Annie, the perfect guy doesn't make her heart race nearly as fast as her grumpy boss. This fun but far-fetched romp abounds with clichés—the flamboyantly gay best friend, the gruff but lovable guy and his straight-shooting mother-figure/housekeeper, the corporate bigwig whose mantra is "sales are sales are sales," etc. Those looking for conventional thrills and instant gratification, however, may find this a good match.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Dumped by her latest boyfriend via video, Annie Long, a video-game designer, comes up with the idea of an interactive video game that allows every woman to have the perfect boyfriend. Her yummy boss Matt, who seems to have forgotten their one night of sexual bliss, gives her the go-ahead. She finds a gorgeous Cuban bartender named Rico to play the boyfriend role in the game, and he seems crazy about her. But the threats of his ex--fiancee, the spandex-clad femme fatale Helena, and the revelation that Rico is pursuing Annie only to further his actorly ambitions, help Annie get over her fantasy of finding true love, a house in the burbs, a golden retriever, and a minivan. A cutthroat TV personality, a mother who is harboring a handsome Cuban under her skirts, a chaotic shoot-turned-media event, and a one-man Queer Eye for the Straight Girl make for a madcap romp and an engagingly sexy romance. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Forever (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446614556
• ISBN-13: 978-0446614559
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,826,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Three and a half, February 16, 2005

By 

Jennifer Banker "Avid reader" (Il United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dream Guy (Warner Forever) (Mass Market Paperback)

I seem to be the minority here but that is ok. This is my first book by this author and I did like it and was not disapointed by it. I just did not see it as much of a romance. There was sexual tension throught the whole book. There were also lots of laugh out loud moments, it was pretty funny. Collin was one of my favorite characters from the book.
I just did not feel a strong connection from the main characters. You could tell they were in lust but when did we get to see their feeling for eachother grow and them come together and all that? They were almost too busy making eachother jealous to get together. Until Annie walks in on Matt at his house and things take off from there. Only it did not get all that romantic, it was sexy yes, but not really romantic.
I felt more romance from Rico and Helena in the end. Although Helena was a little over the top.
So, while it was an entertaining story and ws laugh out loud funny, I thought it needed alot more romance. It was a great book, but I thought it fell in more with light romantic comedy. So that is why I gave it 3 and a half. Its a good book, but not the ammount of romance I had expected. Mrs. Halliday is a good author and I will get her books again, I just know what to expect now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, sexy, and entertaining!, March 18, 2005

By 

gaywinglass "Gayle" (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Guy (Warner Forever) (Mass Market Paperback)

Candy Halliday's clever opening paragraph will suck you in and keep you reading! After being dumped via video tape by her latest looser boyfriend, video game designer Annie turns her lemon of a love life into a lemonade of an idea. She creates the perfect man! "Joe Video." Joe is an interactive boyfriend on DVD designed to give women the support and romance they don't get from their "live" mates. The owner of Paragon Technologies thinks her novel idea will rack up sales, but Matt, Annie's boss and romantic mistake from the past, thinks her idea is a joke. But when the owner of the company dangles a big promotion in front of them, Annie and Matt must work together to make "Joe Video" a success. Sparks fly, tempers soar, and the sexual tension rises in a real life battle of the sexes between Matt and Annie. Throw in a few quirky and memorable secondary characters and you have a witty, sexy romance as entertaining as HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS or SOMEONE LIKE YOU. This one is going on my keeper shelf!

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read..., August 27, 2008

By 

Linda (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Guy (Warner Forever) (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this one of the best romances I've read in a while. The characterizations were strong, interesting and believable. I really liked Matt, and Annie was equally well done. I liked her. Her reasons for doing things were well thought out and made sense, something that's been lacking in many romances I've read recently.

Matt's character was very sexy and fun, and yeah - he's definitely a character I can believe Annie would fall for. Hell, I'd fall for. Great job!

I laughed out loud while reading this a number of times. I loved Collin - he's a character that could so easily have come across as too heavy-handed, but he was just perfect as were Matt's reactions to Collin and the dialogue between the two of them. Even Rico's behavior made sense in the frame of reference for him the author had set up.

Overall, this was a really fun read that was cleverly written by an author who obviously took the time to know her characters really well beforehand. Once I started I had a hard time putting this book down. Looking for more books by Candy Halliday.