Customer Reviews

Flirting with Disaster

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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."

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.

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

Lordy, what a boring read. Maggie was immature and made incredibly unlikely decisions. Her friends were jerks. There was no sizzle to the romance: I was disappointed by every romantic scene. The attraction/romantic obstacle were unbelievable. No woman in her 30s behaves like that. Josh and his mother were OK, but the only redeeming characters in the book. I stopped paying attention halfway through this story. Skimmed to the end, with it's utterly predictable result. I do not recommend this book, unless you're just looking to waste a few hours.

`Flirting with Disaster' by Sherryl Woods is fun southern romance novel. This novel tells the story of a stubborn woman who nursing a dose of embarrassment after her fiancé breaks it off two week before the wedding. Her friends talk her into helping out with church building project. She clashes with the handsome foreman for day one - but where is there is sparks there is fire. This is the second novel of the trilogy. I am off to read `The backup plan' for the first novel. The final novel `Waking up in Charleston' will due out May 2006.

I got a kick out of this cute story about a specialty-store owner with a snooty mother, and a carpenter with a Vegas-broad mom. She's not the snob her mother is, and he's not the classless act his mom is, but these two from the opposite side of the tracks have trouble meeting in the middle when there's a train comin'.

This isn't a Christian romance, but it's also not as pornographic as much of the mainstream romance. Language is limited to the mildest of the naughty words, and sex scenes are tame compared to other books in this genre.

Fun read.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I purchased it because the story sounded intriguing and I liked the cover. I'm a sucker for a good cover. And while the book was well written, the story moved slowly and it felt as though the characters spent most of their time talking about things that had already happened.

There was a lot of dialogue in this book. The characters talked constantly and very little of it helped to advance the plot. Most of it was rehashing events that had already happened and it felt unnecessary.

I did not feel the chemistry between Josh and Maggie. While I thought they were a good match in some ways, the fact that Josh wouldn't let her manipulate him and that he didn't see her as a shrinking violet and he filled her need for rebellion, I never felt the spark.

I was not Maggie's biggest fan. I never felt that she was compassionate and until Ellie was attacked by her boyfriend, I didn't like the way she treated her employees. When the two employees are first introduced Maggie wonders how they managed to not burn the store down and she yelled at Ellie for not making coffee. Now, why would you leave people in charge of your store, your baby, if you didn't trust them to run it? And the coffee thing seemed unnecessarily mean. Ellie explained she thought the coffee was for Maggie personally, not for customer hospitality.

It was only after Ellie was attacked and Maggie saw the paintings and wanted show them in her gallery for press did she begin treating Ellie and Victoria in a more respectful way.

I didn't understand the feud/rebellion that Maggie had with her parents and I never felt that it was explained.

I liked Nadine and enjoyed her story with George Winslow. I felt that they were a good match and that they had a chemistry. It was nice that Nadine found redemption and in the process redeemed George. Despite her past and the treatment of her son, I was sympathetic towards Nadine and was glad she got her happy ending.

I was most interested in how the conflict between Ellie and Brian was going to resolve itself. I would have given up about halfway through had I not wanted to know how that whole business turned out. And I was disappointed. So much of that story was used to move the relationship between Josh and Maggie forward and the resolution disappointed me.

Overall, the story was well written but there were too many unlikable characters and the story moved slowly.

I really have enjoyed reading Sherryl wodds' books, this Charleston Trilogy is great. I am from the south and have visited Charleston she makes the city come alive

Second book in the Charleston Trilogy.... was a Great Sequel to the Backup plan and a Great quick Summer read...