Customer Reviews

Getting Lucky

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Heroine: short, voluptuous

Tired of moving around all her life, gorgeous master chef Lily Morisette is ready to settle down in one place and pursue her dream of opening her own restaurant. But achieving her goal will have to wait a little bit longer when she finds herself having to move one more time, as the owner of the house where she'd been renting a room unexpectedly returns home and decides to toss her out on the street.

Marine recon Master Sergeant Zachariah Taylor was looking forward to relaxing at his own place during leave. He certainly didn't expect to find a gold-digging squatter in his residence! But there she was in all her curvy blonde beauty. Surely she was up to no good, and had just latched on to his rich baby sister roommate in hopes of a free ride? Why else would she keep Glynnis' current whereabouts a secret from him?

But somewhere between their arguments over the legality of her renter's contract, and moments of sizzling attraction, Lily discovers a note left behind by Glynnis stating that she was on her way north to meet her new guy's family. Steamed over the fact that he now has two gold diggers to protect his sister from, Lily falls even further out of charity with Zach when she declares that she'll be accompanying him for the long ride north in order to protect Glynnis from her brother's ire.

Zach doesn't know what makes him crazier, his sole family member going AWOL or this very feminine, luscious bit of cupcake who insists on protecting his baby sister from him. From him!?

What worked for me:

Lily seemed like a very sweet and savvy gal. It was fun seeing her try to puncture the "blonde bimbo airhead" stereotype that the oh-so-sexy Zach kept wanting to cram her into.

I liked the secondary romance between Jessica and her husband, and it was enjoyable watching Lily help bring poor mousy Jess out of her shell.

Size-wise Lily was built a la Marilyn Monroe, who (not surprisingly) seems to be the prototype for bunches of books billed as being "plus-size" romances.

What didn't work for me:

I'm not a real fan of stories in which the hero and heroine are butting heads all the time. A bit is ok, but the fact that it goes on for more than half of this book is too much for me, despite the validity of the big misunderstanding that prompts it all.

I felt a bit at a loss because I had wandered in at the tail end of a trilogy. The recurring characters didn't really click with me because I was meeting them for the first time instead of enjoying a nice reunion with them.

Overall:

A solid read, especially if you enjoy having your hero and heroine firmly at odds with each other throughout most of the story. There are a few good comic as well as dramatic moments to savor in this book, but it may not be humorous enough for some readers or suspense-filled enough for others.

Warning: This book features some steamy sex scenes and coarse language in it.

If you liked "Getting Lucky" you might also enjoy: "Lola Carlyle Reveals All", "Runaway Bay", "This Heart of Mine", "It Had to be You", "Walking After Midnight", "Blushing Pink", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "Plum Girl", "Fast Women", "Welcome to Temptation", "Faking It", "His Seductive Revenge", "Dear Cupid", "Looking for Laura", "Too Much Temptation", "Say You're Mine", or "Carried Away".

This is the first (and last) book I've read from this author. The story itself could have been okay but the details and characters were all wrong.

If you need a male lead who will not notice that he's being followed up the entire West Coast - even when the tail is someone he has trouble with before and is getting gas at the same pump, will neglect to inform his backup of the danger and will then forget all about the danger when an unrelated problem is cleared up... DON'T try to say he is a Master Sereant with the USMC with 18 years experience as a "point man on numberous recon missions involving kidnap victims".

If your female lead really is a highly trained chef, cooking on a corporate yacht and earning a paycheck with "all those zeros", she won't be preoccupied with the hot rollers, tons of jewelry & makeup and wobbling around on high "needle heeled" shoes all the time. She only owns one pair of flat shoes and those are sandles? This is not a chef - never mind all the other details (no high end chef would garnish any plate with a twist of orange slice on each side of the plate - let alone their own. This belongs at Denny's, not a corporate yacht). I know these shound like little picky details, but there are constant inconsistancies like this. If this is the character the author wanted - fine, just don't try to say she's a chef.

How many times can you use the word "jiggle" in a book? I got so tired of reading about her wiggling, jiggling body, little high heeled steps, cotton candy mouth and and lemon cookie scent...all of the make up, lotions, gold chain belts, Marilyn Monroe hair (complete with the confirmation that she's a bleached blond)... this is not an "ultra-feminine" woman, this is a bimbo. I don't care if she is able to balance a checkbook -if it walks like a bimbo and talks like a bimbo... sure, she is nice (to everyone but Zach) but please, just because the author continues to say she's not a bimbo doesn't make it true.

Basically I found Lily annoying and unlikable (the whole campground scene put me off the book for a week), Zach was a jerk at first but at least he had a reason. The plot was weak (the low-key mystery was obvious a short while after the kidnapping). I didn't bother finishing the book and only got as far as I did because it was the only unread book I had when I went to take a bath.

Don't waste your time or money.

In GETTING LUCKY, Susan Andersen creates a world where the men talk like men and the women aren't afraid to stand up for themselves, a welcome change from romances with uber-alpha males being matched with doormat watering pot females.

Marine Master Sergeant Zach Taylor arrives home from leave to find, not his sheltered heiress baby sister, but a Marilyn Monroe-like knockout named Lily Morrisette not only living in his house but actually living in his room. Given that his sister Glynnis is forever taking in gold-digging strays, he assumes the worst, especially when Lily won't tell him where his sister has disappeared to, or with whom.

Lily is a chef on an exclusive corporate yacht, working on saving up to open her own restaurant. She's smart and sassy, and is well aware that her party-girl looks often make men jump to conclusions. She stubbornly refuses to straighten out Zach's misconceptions, but then she finds a note among her things from Glynnis, instructing her to tell Zach that Glynnis and her fiancé, David, have driven from California to Washington's Orcas Island to meet his family. Lily just knows Zach is going to fly off the handle about this news, so she insists on going with him, much to his consternation.

When they finally arrive on Orcas, it is to discover David's family in an uproar over a ransom note - the happy couple has apparently been kidnapped. On the road trip there, Zach had begun to admire Lily as more than a hot babe, and once they arrive on Orcas, Lily really gets a chance to shine as an emotional bedrock for the distraught family members. Lily also is able to see Zach in a whole new light - beyond overbearing pig to concerned brother and lonely man, despite being very good at his job. I sometimes have a hard time with couples who get a happily-ever-after within mere days of meeting, but Zach and Lily are utterly believable as a couple. How these two relate to each other shows that Andersen really has a terrific grasp of the male-female relationship dynamic.

There is a sweet side story involving Lily helping David's cousin Jessica transform from ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, and a slightly forced element involving a Columbian national with a grudge against Zach. This latter development struck me as more of a device thrown in to make Zach come to his senses about Lily than an essential part of the story, and it was a bit rushed, but like the rest of the book it was well-written. I can forgive weaknesses in plotting if the characters stay consistent and if the writing is high caliber, both of which are true in the case of GETTING LUCKY.

I have a test for rating a book: am I sad to leave the characters at the end of the book? Zach and Lily passed with flying colors. GETTING LUCKY is a welcome addition to my Susan Andersen collection. I'm hoping my suspicion that secondary character John "Rocket" Miglioni is going to get his own story will prove true - and if that's the case, I'll be in the bookstore waiting to buy one of the first copies!

This was lots of fun to read. Great pacing, entertaining dialogue, interesting subplots. Even one of the villains is rather entertaining. Lily, a kind-hearted hyper-competent chef who loves food, make-up, and great shoes, makes the entire book; she's the entire reason for reading it.

Zach is extremely obnoxious to the point of incredulity for the first half of the book though. His excuse is that he's very protective of his younger sister, and he thinks that Lily (the heroine) is a fortune hunter out to get his fabulously rich sister. Either he didn't keep in touch for a couple of months (then isn't doing a good job of being protective) or his sister's hiding stuff (which isn't consistent with her character). In any case, I can't find his obnoxiousness excusable even with the excessive level of protectiveness portrayed here. Although it's a sizeable mar, it's still a very fun book, just because of Lily.

I must say this book was way below Susan Andersens usual level of writing. The plot was filled with holes. The sincerity and intelligence of the hero were questionable with regards to him rescuing his kidnapped sister. His actions seemed to be at direct odds with insuring her safe return. The characters were otherwise likable, but the plot was just too weak to hold my interest. Hopefully her next book will be back up to her usual standards

This is my first Susan Andersen book and I did enjoy it. I especially liked Lily's character. She's a firecracker! Zach was handsome and sexy but a bit too surly for a bit too long to make his romantic interest in Lily entirely believable (the main complaint with this book).

Zach Taylor has come home on leave to find blonde bombshell Lily Morrisette living in his house - sleeping in his bedroom! He immediately assumes she's yet another leach hanging around with his baby sister Glynnis to sponge off of her and her money. He is rude and nasty to Lily demanding to know where his sister has gone and with whom. Well an attitude like that will get you nowhere with Lily!

Lily has been renting a room from Glynnis and the two women have become friends. Glynnis has just become engaged to David and they've taken a trip to Washington to meet his family. Lily likes David and feels the two of them deserve to be happy without GI Joe storming after them to ruin it all, so when Zach is determined to follow, she's just as determined to come along!

The ensuing road trip is a wild ride with Zach and Lily bickering and covertly checking each other out (with growing interest) by turns. By the time they get to their destination, they are definitely softening toward each other. But what they find there is not good - it seems Glynnie and David have been kidnapped! And what Lily and Zach don't know is that they've been followed the whole trip by a Colombian national with a grudge against Zach.

While many will dislike Zach, I was okay with him (bark worse than bite kind of thing). And Lily brings him to his knees eventually anyway (literally). I thought I was going to hate Lily, but she was a hoot - no dumb blonde pushover here! The kidnapping and Colombian subplots are more light suspense than anything that will have you on the edge of your seat and I think that's intentional. Not a great book, but a fun way to pass the time and some steamy chemistry between Zach and Lily. Recommended.

Tough guy, Master Sergeant Zachariah Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe look alike Lily Morrisette. Whoever would have thought a relationship would work between the chef and big, bad Marine, but hey, stranger things have happened. Zach figures Lily for another in a long line of cons trying to trick his naïve sister out of the family fortune, when in fact sis Glynnis and Lily have forged a lasting friendship. Zack goes from rude and nasty to downright mean when he finds out Lily has a fiancé, and has left to head North to meet his family, figuring David is out for her money too. When Zach decides it's time to follow Glynnis and rescue her from the gold digger, Lily goes along for the ride, knowing Glynnis and David truly love each other and Glynnis might need her help convincing Zach of the truth.

Lily and Zach's road trip is nothing short of amazing. The humor Susan Andersen interjects, and outrageous cast of secondary characters make it possible to overlook Zach's nasty attitude. Add in extortion, kidnapping, and of course Zach's macho Marine buddies who come to lend a hand, steamy sex and loveable Lily, and you have another Susan Andersen classic. This is a light and humorous read, one to just sit back and enjoy!

Be My Baby was my fist book by Susan Anderson and I have been a devout fan ever since. By the time Getting Lucky came out I had read everything by SA prior and let me just say she's a master at her craft. She and Rachel Gibson put others to shame with their light-hearted romances.

Getting Lucky is the story of a chef and an Ex-Marine who have a crazy time falling in love. He's an ass who thinks the worst of her and she's a loudmouth who gives back as good as she can. For some reason after reading the back of the book I didn't think I'd actually like it. So, I kept putting if off by reading everything else before it. When I finally sat down to read it I was enthralled. I honestly think I read the whole thing in one day.

I give a 100% satisfaction guaranteed stamp of approval on this novel. I'm positive you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Not one of my personal keepers, but definately worth the read. This is a follow up to Cooper Blackstones' story, but you do not have to read that first. This will stand alone.

I find this writer to be very enjoyable, and always buy her books as soon as they come out. I prefer her darker books, such as On Thin Ice, and Shadow Dance, to her "cute" romances.

This one had a bit of suspense. Lily is renting a room w/her friend Glynnis who is poor at money management. Glynnis has run off with a guy Lily approves of to meet his family because they are engaged. Meanwhile marine master seargeant big brother of Glynnis comes home to discover Lily their. He immediatley beleives that she is taking advantage of his sister.

Lily finds a note telling her to tell Zach (the brother) where Glynnis has gone, she does, but does not trust him to not try and ruin the engagement. She blackmails him into taking her with him up to Washington.

Sexual tension sizzles between them, and it is great to see Zach get all of his preconceived ideas about Lily thrown in his face. They are witty and good together.

When they arrive in Washington they find out that Glynnis and her fiancee have been kidnapped. Also an enemy of Zach's is following with revenge on his mind from a military mission gone wrong.

Very entertaining and flows well. It was not so riveting that I had to finish in one night, but was very good. I would pay the new price for this book.

the plot of this story was cute light fun...It is exactly that! I forgot to mention the word entertaining!