Customer Reviews

Getting Rid Of Bradley

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Meet schoolteacher Lucy Savage. She's just been "stood-up" at a divorce hearing by her cheating husband Bradley, her pushy sister Tina keeps telling her what to do, and she has just acquired the hair-do from hell. On top of that, it seems that someone is trying to kill her. In the middle of all of this mayhem, she meets a handsome cop, Zack Warren, who is certain that Bradley is guilty of embezzlement. He also believes that Bradley, for one reason or another, is also behind the attempted shootings and mild bombings aimed towards Lucy. Hoping to protect Lucy and catch Bradley at the same time, Zach moves into Lucy's home. Zack, who doesn't consider himself the marrying type, is certain he'll be able to maintain his hormone level throughout his time with Lucy. Lucy also believes that she'll be able to contain her attraction, but somewhere along the way both her and Zack's plan seems to crumble away, revealing a passion that neither have experienced before.

"Getting Rid of Bradley" is one of those novels you just can't help laughing out loud to. Bestselling author Jennifer Crusie manages to tell an entertaining story by blending humour and sexual tension. The characters and situations they are thrust into are so crazy, so left field, that you can't help believing that it could actually happen. The interactions between Lucy and Zack are very entertaining to read and it's nice to watch their relationship develop in such a short time period. What begins as an innocent attraction quickly turns into overwhelming passion and eventually love for the two, who seem hell-bent on preventing just that.

If you're looking for a light-hearted, romantic novel, check this one out. You'll just love it!

Gennie Bailey-Rogers

After catching her perfect husband with a blonde, school teacher Lucy gets a quickie divorce and just wants to put the whole mess behind her. She intends to become a fully independent woman whose biggest responsibility will be keeping her menagerie of mutts happy. She doesn't want or need another man in her life but when she spots dangerously handsome Zack in a café she figures a fling might not be a bad idea. But when he accosts her in the parking lot all of her sexy thoughts fly out the window and she beats the crap out of him with her textbook! She's thrilled with herself until she discovers he's an undercover cop who was only trying to save her life. When further attempts are made on her life he moves in to protect her and ends up falling in love with her dogs and, although it scares the
heck out of him, her.

This is one of my favorite Crusie books. The heroine is easy to identify with as she has a perpetual bad hair day throughout most of the book. The hero looks tough, and tries to act tough but is a big marshmallow on the inside, especially when dealing with Lucy and her dogs. When he brings her a special gift I was a goner - and so was she. There's a lot of humor, love and touching moments in this great book. I had a blast reading it.

This book first came out in 1994 and despite beating a path to bookstore doors for the release of Ms. Crusie's last 4 books...I was caught unaware by this one. But, I snagged it off a shelf, brought it home and couldn't stop reading once I had started it. Phone calls went unanswered, dog went unfed and frankly, I'm not sure if I remembered to feed myself!

A more unlikely couple would be hard to find then Lucy, a wacky, recently divorced teacher looking for some changes in her life, and Zack...a cop that feels his age weighing heavily on his tall muscular body, even though he's only 36. The verbal exchanges they put each other through are some of the funniest I've read and that includes Jennifer Crusie's more recent offerings. This book is a delightful experience of laugh-out-loud, foot stomping, eye watering exercises. Along with the hysterically zany moments, we're awarded some of the most enduring, red-hot steamy romantic displays between Lucy and Zack that rivial anything I've read. This book is a whoop and a keeper!

Jennifer Crusie is one of the rising stars among romance writers, and deservedly so. Her books are clever and quick-moving.

GETTING RID OF BRADLEY is a re-issue of an earlier novel, and it will delight her newer fans who missed the book on its first go-round.

Her characters are distinctive and well-developed, and the plot is far more detailed than in most conventional romances. Heroine Lucy Savage is endearing and compelling, with foibles that seem all too real. The dogs are real and compelling, also. Reading Ms. Crusie's CV on the back of the jacket, it is easy to understand how she has become such a star in her field.

The only complaint is that once this plot reached its inevitable climax--every pun intended--the story becomes more about lust than about mystery. This is a pity, because Jennifer Crusie has crafted a romance novel that has far more depth than the genre usually requires.

Fresh from a divorce and living with her menagerie of dogs, Lucy just wants to get her life back and answer to herself. But when shots are fired and bombs go off at her home, the police are convinced that her ex-husband Bradley is either behind it or the intended victim, as he is being investigated for embezzlement. To protect Lucy, sexy detective Zach Warren is called in for protection duty. As the two banter and try to gain the upper hand, they fall for each other. The on-going battle of whether she could beat up Zach will have the reader chuckling.

I am convinced that Jennifer Crusie could write the yellow pages and keep me on the edge of my seat. Her awesome ability with dialogue, character development, and setting up a romantic mood are unsurpassed and excel even in the most inane story. The plot in this isn't great, and overall it is an average read, but what will keep the reader's attention is the relationship dynamic between Lucy and Zach, and of course her pack of pets. You gotta love a man who can look beyond green slime hair and see the inner you.

You don't read a romance novel for the plot which is a good thing for Jennifer Crusie's "Getting Rid of Bradley." All the defining elements of a great contemporary romance novel are here - an extremely sexy copy hero, witty dialogue, lots of sexual tension - and you'll really enjoy the book if you don't get distracted by the contrived plot. The hero, Zack Warren, is very well drawn. Thanks to Crusie's vivid prose, you really get a strong sense of his edgy energy and intense emotional reactions. The heroine, Lucy Savage, just got a quicky divorce, and lives in a great house with her rather unique dogs, including one who performs a dog joke. Even though she's suffering from a bad dye job that left her hair green, she is enjoying feeling independent and adventurous - handy since people are shooting at her and planting bombs in her house. Zack, a police officer, moves in to protect her, and there's lots of fun reading as these two strong personalities try to come to grips wih their strong attraction. A classic contemporary romance scenario. My problem with the book is that the unknown threat that brings them together doesn't work. The jumping off point for the back plot is Lucy's ex-husband, Bradley. Zack believes Bradley has something to do with the bombs, etc.; Lucy is adamant that her ex is too staid and boring to be involved in a crime. First, I couldn't reconcile the Lucy we see in the story with the doormat that married a man she always found extremely dull. Second, the crime isn't very interesting, and the bad guys' motivation for threatening Lucy just isn't believable. If you concentrate on Zack and Lucy and their relationship and ignore the rest, you'll enjoy this book.

Jennifer Crusie's second romance novel, Getting Rid of Bradley, has a lot to offer. For those who enjoy light, fun, easy reads -- this one works; for readers in dire need of romance and sex -- this one fits the bill; or for those who love a good mystery -- well, need I say more?

Getting Rid of Bradley starts off in the middle of all the action: Lucy Savage Porter is stood up by her husband, Bradley, at their divorce hearing, so she and her sister, Tina, take a break for lunch at Harvey's Diner. Meanwhile, police officers Anthony and Zach are at Harvey's, too, following up on a tip of the whereabouts of their latest case, embezzler John Bradley. Of course, their efforts are fruitless when John Bradley doesn't show, but there may be a break in the case afterall -- Zach overhears Lucy mentioning something about "getting rid of Bradley," and everything snowballs from there.

Is Lucy's Bradley the same guy Anthony and Zach are looking for? Is it possible that Lucy did not know her husband AT ALL? And what about Lucy's unfortunate luck with men -- will Zach help turn her frown upside down? Discovering the answers to these questions is plain, pure fun. I will admit to being a bit overwhelmed in the beginning since it jumped in with all these characters and all this action, but it did not take me long to settle down comfortably in the plot. Jennifer Crusie is a master of her art -- light, frivilous, juicy stories in a concise, sharp, easy language that make her novels a pleasure to read. Perfect for the beach, by the fireplace, or a vacation from heavier books. I look forward to more!

"Getting Rid of Bradley" by Jennifer Crusie is one of my favourite books. I read a lot and I know what I like, and this is definitely it! The book is character-driven and both the heroine and hero are entertaining and endearing. Lucy Savage, previously Lucy Savage-Porter - which, according to her sister, made her sound like an angry bell-hop - is quirky and crazy. Between her ever-changing and often increasingly bad hair days and her lovable dogs - who are rounded characters in themselves :) - she keeps the pages turning. She meets the love of her life, Zack Warren, after mistaking the unsuspecting sexy cop for a mugger and beating him up in the street - although he maintains that he let her do it, of course. What with her obsessive soon-to-be-ex-husband on the loose, at least one criminal running around shooting at people and a mystery to solve, Zack decides that there is simply no other way around it than that he should move into her beloved house - which she likes more than her ex - with her. Lucy soon finds that Zack - who is in denial that he is in his thirties and could soon be *gasp* old - is a mix of mischievous little boy and mature sex-on-legs man, and Zack swings from commitment-phobe to realising quite quickly that he never wants to leave Lucy, the dogs and the house - heck, he's even loving her cooking lessons! - and just has to figure out a way to get her out of the divorce court and straight back down the aisle - with him! This book is fast-paced, well-written and just plain funny! Highly recommended for romance readers or anyone with a sense of humour.

On the day the divorce from her womanizing husband, Bradley, is final, Lucy Savage can't stop looking at the dangerous looking man in the diner--so different from her banker ex. Maybe it's time to do something spontaneous instead of logical. Outside the diner, the dangerous looking man proves himself--by trying to mug her! Luckily, Lucy is able to fight him off with her physics textbook, and goes home feeling quite pleased with herself.

Zack Warren can hardly believe the woman he tried to protect from gunfire outside the diner actually assaulted him with her purse. He didn't even have time before she ran to tell her he was a cop. Now he has to figure out who was shooting at her and why, and what information she has about Bradley, the embezzler he's trying to catch.

When Lucy won't leave her home even though it would be safer for her to stay somewhere else (after all, she can't leave her three dogs), Zack stays with her to protect her, and the incendiary devices fly fast and furious. The fire between Lucy and Zack seems to be even stronger than the fire that Bradley--or someone--is throwing at them.

If you've read other books by Jennifer Crusie, you know about her quick humor, witty dialog, memorable characters, yummy love scenes, endearing pets...stories that you'll happily devour in one sitting. All those elements are present in this Romance Writers of America RITA award winner. If you haven't read Jennifer Crusie, don't wait another day: treat yourself to the queen of series romance and one of the most exciting novelists in any genre.

Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews

When her husband has an affair, Lucy Savage, with encouragement from her sister, divorces him. But Bradley has promised he'll explain everything and Lucy goes to the greasy-spoon where he's promised he'll meet her. There's no Bradley there, but there is a sexy cop--one who's so disreputable looking, Lucy believes he's a mugger. And he really does almost mug Lucy when someone takes a shot at them when they leave the diner.

Cop Zach Warren had been sent to the diner by a phone call promising him he'd find an embezzlement suspect, Bradley, there. There has to be a connection between Lucy's Bradley and the Bradley he's after. Searching the things Bradley left in Lucy's house--things he left because Lucy's sister bought all new locks the instant he headed out the door--has got to lead to a clue. Unfortunately, though, instead of a clue, Zach finds an annoying cat next door, and continued threats against Lucy. The threats don't seem designed to kill her, exactly, but they certainly are scary. Zach's answer is to stick around and body-guard the sexy schoolteacher.

Lucy believes in logic, not love. And logic tells her that 'her' Bradley would never embezzle a million dollars. It also tells her that Zach is exactly the wrong man for her. But logic doesn't have any explanation for why she wants him around.

In this early novel by Jennifer, Cruise combines humor, endearing (if very odd) characters, and a bit of adventure in a completely enjoyable fast read. Originally published in Harlequin's Temptation line, GETTING RID OF BRADLEY went a long way to establish Crusie's reputation as a star in the romance genre. More than ten years later, the book remains fresh and fun. Zach is a charming character--worried about being in his mid-thirties, insistent that Lucy didn't really beat him up when she'd thought he was mugging her, delighted with his ability to cook nachos and other simple dishes after eating in restaurants for years (as Lucy insists he learn to cook). But Lucy is the real star of the story--concerned about being independent, with frequently changing hair color, flaky enough to ignore Zach's most basic safety requests, but with a real strength that drives the story forward.

Crusie has made a career out of throwing dysfunctional characters into danger and creating a mix of laughter and suspense out of it. In this early novel, she already has the touch. I'm happy to recommend GETTING RID OF BRADLEY for those of us who missed the novel on its first release. (GETTING RID OF BRADLEY was initially released as Harlequin Temptation #480, January 1994).