Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to Handle, February 24, 2008
Harley Handleman has built his entire life to the end goal of being the SBC extreme fighting champion. He has been close, but life always interferes with his plans. After his latest disappointment, he rents a remote cabin to rehab and get his head together.
Life Coach Anastasia Bradley is Harley's landlord. They have met in passing several times, but after an unexpected encounter, he is seeing her in a new light. She is reluctant to get involved with him because his womanizing ways are legendary. Women flock to him, and she is determined not to be one of them.
When an attempt is made on Stasia's life, Harley makes it his mission to keep her safe. While he refuses her help to gain focus and get his life in order, she inadvertently has an effect on him.
I liked this book - well written! Harley is all alpha male, strong and sexy. Stasia is also strong, focused, and unpredictable. I really like that she doesn't fall at his feet, and remains her own person. That is sometimes difficult to do when surrounded by such a commanding presence like Harley. I also am glad that Barber, Dean, Eve, and the gang were involved in the story. It wouldn't be the same without them.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to Handle , February 5, 2008
Harley "Hard to Handle" Handleman is determined that nothing is going to stop him this time from achieving his ultimate goal of gaining the SBC title belt. In the past, personal misfortunes have kept him from even entering the ring for a title fight. This time nothing, absolutely nothing is going to stop Harley, especially not trouble with women... But when Harley meets Anastasia, all his plans are thrown out the window because as much as Harley would like to forget Anastasia, she seems to have taken permanent residence in his brain and in his fevered dreams.
Anastasia Kelley has known Harley casually for a long time, since she has been renting him a cabin during the winter months for several years. Even though Anastasia is really attracted to Harley, she knows his reputation and isn't eager to become another notch on his bedpost. Still, when chance throws them together and Anastasia sees a way to be close to Harley and help him reach his goals, she jumps at the chance.
As fate brings Harley and Anastasia closer together by chance and manipulation, they must battle against an unknown person threatening Anastasia and Harley's tendency to rigidly control his emotions... Will they ever manage to come together and make it work?
Hard to Handle is another fun romp into the SBC and the community of fighters that band together like a brotherhood when the need arises outside of the ring. As we have come to expect, Ms. Foster delivers characters who are flawed, but appealing, and a light plot full of humor and wit that will keep you entertained from start to finish. Harley is the ultimate Alpha male who will delight, entertain and frustrate you by turns while keeping the sexual tension high enough to singe you. Anastasia, on the other hand, is not your typical woman. She refuses to trip over herself in an effort to capture Harley's attention, which in itself serves to catch Harley's eye. These two spend a large part of the book dancing around each other and the attraction they feel, but when they finally come together, it will leave you sweating and reaching for a drink to cool down! However, there are some parts of the plot that are slightly predictable, but as always, Lori Foster will have you too busy with her characters' foibles and witty secondary characters to care too much for the flaws of the book. Pick up Hard to Handle for a funny and entertaining read that will leave your romantic heart well satisfied!
Sabella
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing..., April 18, 2008
A Kid's Review
After reading 'Simon Says', I was quick to pick this one up. 'Simon Says' was a great book: good primary and secondary characters, believable plot, etc... I was excited to find out what happened to Harley Handleman and Barber but this book fell very flat in telling both of their stories. After many stops and starts, I finally managed to finish the book and was left with the same ugh feeling I had when I started it. Without much dexterity, this book intertwines the story of Harley+Stasia and Barber+Jasmine.
In a nut shell... Stasia was fairly annoying, and the resolution of her stalker situation was quick, pat and totally out of left field. Harley's bondage fetish wasn't overdone (thank goodness), but his total about-face from male ho to one-woman-man was too abrupt. I was most disappointed by the secondary plot with Barber - he was one of my favorite characters from 'Simon Says', definitely excellent trashy romance novel hero material. In this book, he starts out sleeping around as much as humanly possible (he and Harley could compete in a sluttiest man contest), whines a little bit about losing Dakota to Simon, then meets Jasmine and promptly forgets both the male slut contest and Dakota. Jasmine wasn't much of a character; if she'd had more page space I probably would have liked her. I haven't read 'Causing Havoc' so I can't say how that compares, but this book was definitely not a good follow-up to 'Simon Says'.
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