Flirting with Disaster [Mass Market Paperback]

Sherryl Woods (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

In Charleston, Southern belle Maggie Forsythe learns that there is a fine line between desire and disaster when sparks fly between her and Josh Parker. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

All her life, Maggie Forsythe has seesawed erratically between wanting to please her wealthy Charleston socialite parents and rebelling against all they stand for. With best friend Dinah (The Backup Plan, 2005) blissfully married, she retreats to recover from her broken engagement, but her sulking is interrupted by the arrival of Dinah, Cord, and Warren (the ex-fiance) with a request that she join them in building a home for another acquaintance from their shared childhood, widowed Amanda O'Leary, and her three children. Meanwhile, Cord is busy convincing historic renovator Josh Parker to supervise the construction, and when Maggie meets Josh, sparks fly between the bad-boy loner with the heart of gold and the socialite art gallery owner. Multiple subplots are cleverly interwoven throughout Woods'thought-provoking contemporary southern romance, including teasers for Amanda's upcoming romance with the local minister (Waking Up in Charleston, 2006) and the budding relationship between Josh's mother, Nadine, and prominent local widower George Winslow. Lynne Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Woods...is noted for appealing character-driven stories that are often infused with the flavor and fragrance of the South."

-Library Journal

"A whimsical, sweet scenario...the digressions have their own charm, and Woods never fails to come back to the romantic point."

-Publishers Weekly on Sweet Tea at Sunrise

"What better way to welcome spring back into our lives than to be able to sit down with a book by a beloved author, a cool drink, and dreams of young love blooming?"

-Romance Review on Home in Carolina

"Woods' readers will eagerly anticipate her trademark small-town setting, loyal friendships, and honorable mentors as they meet new characters and reconnect with familiar ones in this heartwarming tale."

-Booklist on Home in Carolina

"Warm, complex, and satisfying."

-Library Journal on Harbor Lights

"Sparks fly in a lively tale that is overflowing with family conflict and warmth and the possibility of rekindled love."

-Library Journal on Flowers on Main

"Launching the Chesapeake Shores series, Woods creates an engrossing...family drama."-Publishers Weekly on The Inn at Eagle Point

"Woods is a master heartstring puller, and her endearingly flawed characters deal with their plethora of problems in a predictable but satisfying manner."

-Publishers Weekly on Seaview Inn --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mira (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778322386
• ISBN-13: 978-0778322382
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With her roots firmly planted in the South, Sherryl Woods has written many of her more than 100 books in that distinctive setting, whether her home state of Virginia, her adopted state, Florida, or her much-adored South Carolina. She's also especially partial to small towns wherever they may be. In Amazing Gracie, as in her later Trinity Harbor series, Woods creates a fictional version of the town where she spends summers on the shores of the Potomac River. "This town just lends itself to fascinating characters and a charming locale," she says.

A member of Novelists Inc., Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America, Sherryl divides her time between her childhood summer home overlooking the Potomac River in Colonial Beach, Virginia, and her oceanfront home with its lighthouse view, in Key Biscayne, Florida. "Wherever I am, if there's no water in sight, I get a little antsy," she says.

Sherryl also loves hearing from readers. You can join her at her blog, www.justbetweenfriendsblog.com, visit her Web site at www.sherrylwoods.com or contact her directly at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great sequel to the Backup Plan, February 20, 2006

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flirting with Disaster (Mass Market Paperback)

Unlucky-in-love gallery owner Maggie Forsythe is cleansing her wounds when her fiance Warren called the wedding off after the invitations went out. She is visited Warren, best friend Dinah and Dinah's husband Cord. They make an offer she cannot refuse - help with the building of a home for a needy local parishioner.

Also on hand is Cord's foreman, Josh Parker. He is a rootless man who goes from job to job and lives in motels. When he and debutante Maggie meet, they are like fire and water. So you know that the sizzle will be good. He writes Maggie off as a bubble head, not realizing that she is quite an accomplished handy-gal herself, having renovated her gallery on her own. Neither wants to make the first move, but when his often married mother comes for a visit, she makes it her business to get the two together. That is when she is not driving the man opposed to the construction crazy.

As Maggie and Josh rush to make the deadline and try not to fall for each other despite all their friends (and family) shenanigans, they suddenly have to look out for an abusive lover of a gallery employee hell bent on making Maggie's life hell.

The story is another great southern fried romance as well as a great follow up to "The Backup Plan," with the main characters back playing pivotal roles telling Maggie's story, and soon to follow with "Waking Up in Charleston."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Have to disagree, December 25, 2006

By 

Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flirting with Disaster (Mass Market Paperback)

From the back cover:

Opposites attract, but they don't last.

At least, that's what improper Southern belle Maggie Forsythe thinks after being unceremoniously dumped two weeks before getting hitched to a man even her mother approves of. Maggie has never given two figs what anyone thinks, so why is she hiding away from her South Caroline Low Country home?

This is until concerned--albeit scheming--friends arrive with three options:

One: Sit and mope.
Two: Go home to her gallery.
Three: Help them build a house for a needy family and make a difference for once.

But one look at Maggie, and the project foreman Josh Parker knows what kind of sweet-tea-swilling debutante he's dealing with. Even if she does know her way around a circular saw. Sure, they have enough sparks to ignite a bonfire, but he's corn bread to her caviar. And if these's anything he's learned from growing up broke, it's better to aim low than risk everything and loose.

And my review:

I'd tried this author before, when her story appeared in Harlequin's "So This is Christmas" romance anthology. Since the stories in romance anthologies are so short, I don't like to write an author off completely if I didn't like their story, since I feel that most authors do better when they have enough room to work.

But I'm afraid I had the same big complaint with FLIRTING WITH DISASTER that I did with my first experience with this author's work. I find that the sexual attraction between hero and heroine is way over-the-top. They see each other, and are instantly picturing each other in bed in various sexual situations and positions, etc. They both have sex on the brain (even though they hate each other). It was just ridiculous. (As someone who has met and married the love of her life, this immediate and overpowering lust just doesn't feel realistic to me.)

I just never felt that there was anything drawing the characters together except overactive hormones. And for me, that's just not enough for a satisfying read. Lust is not what real and lasting relationships are build on. Sexual attraction is important in a relationship, but it can't be the sole motivation for it.

Guess I'm in the minority here, but I can't recommend this book. Of course, if you're already a fan of this author, my review probably won't do much to change your mind. But if you've never read Sherryl Woods before, I recommend that you borrow this one from the library if you're still determined to read it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong character driven contemporary romance, November 30, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flirting with Disaster (Mass Market Paperback)

Two weeks before their marriage, dependable Dr. Warren Blake dumps Maggie Forsythe. The Charleston iron magnolia flees her home, leaving her art and antiques gallery Images to be run by her employees, and hides on Sullivan Island. Her best friends Dinah and Cordell Beaufort and Warren arrive to bring her home. She hides from them the real reason she retreated that has nothing to do with humiliation but feeling that for whatever reason she is unlovable. Still they persuade her to help build a house for a widow with three kids.

Heading the construction project is a reluctant Josh Parker who assumes that Maggie is cotton candy only to be surprised she is good with tools having renovated Images by herself. They are attracted to one another, but neither wants to ignite the spark as she fears rejection and he presupposes that a working stiff with a matriarchal hang-up is way beneath her level. When his mom comes out of nowhere and teams up with Dinah as matchmakers, neither one of the hesitant duet stand a chance unless they run away from love.

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER is a strong character driven contemporary romance starring two wonderful protagonists and a powerful support cast with many facing complex problems. The return of the stars from the BACKUP PLAN augments the fine story line in which he and she both agree on two things: they want one another and they do not belong together. The social issues are deftly handled due to the powerful characterizations. Fans will appreciate this fine look at modern society in which it takes a community coming together to help parents raise children.

Harriet Klausner