Customer Reviews

Hot Stuff

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

 

 

A fun story about a jaded woman who has very cynical and hardened ideas about love and marriage, and the romantic man who sets out to soften her outlook and open her heart. Joe is a wonderful character - I could fall head-over-heals in love with him myself! I appreciated the gentle way he led Laurel to view love in a different light and come to her own conclusions, rather than force his ideals onto her. The dialogue was snappy and entertaining. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is that the story could have been faster paced and told in 50-75 less pages.

I found this romance to be fun, fast paced and made me laugh. The premise is that Laurel has decided after way too many failed romances that she is not going to marry for love and in fact the best idea is for her to "arrange" her own marriage. This premise is cemented in her brain when her boss gives her a book to review that is about the very same subject. (Point)

Joe is a wealthy self made man of coffee shop fame. But, he has gone undercover with a coffee cart to research a new shop location. He is immediately drawn to Laurel. Joe is definitely a believer of love before marriage. (Counterpoint)

Laurel decided to use her and Joe's opinions for her article (to prove she is right) which throws them together in different situations to see how each opinion will play out.

Fun story that also looks at speed dating in a humorous way. If you want a light fun romance to read, this is a good one.

This is a really smart romantic comedy! It had me laughing out loud in so many places and rushing through the pages to finish it in 2 nights. There was something about it that reminded me of the wonderful movie "Someone Like You" with Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd - but this book was better. The author explores the eternal question of finding a life-long mate: Should one follow a sensible plan in finding a spouse or keep searching for heart-pounding passionate love? The hero really knocked me off my feet with all the right ingredients: strong, compassionate, great one-liners, and as sexy as they come. And Fox has a way of making the reader jump into the skin of her heroine. (...)

In Washington DC at Dupont Circle, tabloid reporter Laurel Kane meets Joe who sells gourmet and high octane coffee from a push cart when she and her friend make a java purchase from him. That same day her DC Scene editor-owner Rulinda Mason assigns Laurel to do a Valentine's Day feature on Dr. Cornelius Nadalov's book "Love is not the Answer". Laurel reads the book and agrees that she wasted much of her adult life seeking someone to love and who would love her as madly in return. As Nadalov claims she accepts that love is impossible past thirty.

Laurel decides to find a companion rather than a passionate lover, but Joe challenges her. Soon they agree to test the waters with dates written up in a public debate over whether love is possible after one is thirty. However, Joe, already attracted to his opponent, knows he cannot afford to lose this contest because he is living proof that love can occur at forty.

Though Joe is more than he seems, the audience will appreciate this battle of the sexes because of the beliefs of the lead female and the antics of her best friend. The story line is fun to follow as Laurel and Joe date others. Especially interesting is the "fast food" dating service that many readers will agree with Joe seems a bit sad. Though there is no tension except inside the head of Laurel, fans of amusing gender skirmishes will enjoy Elaine Fox's DC war zone.

Harriet Klausner

Very well written, fast-moving, intelligent dialogue among the main characters. Very likable heroine (at times, though, I could have wrung her neck for not seeing what she had in Joe fast enough -- but that's just me); a totally "fall-in-love instantly" type of hero!! If this were made into a movie, I could easily see Simon Baker as "Joe." He has dreamy eyes and a drop dead gorgeous smile -- just like Joe. Good book, fast read. I only gave it 4 stars though because I would have liked to have read more on their "happily ever after..." Didn't want it to end!! :-(

The title says it all. Before you even buy this book, check out your local Dollar Store. All of her books are on sale there for 1 dollar. I'm glad I did not pay 9 dollars plus on Amazon. Would of been a major waste.

***SPOILERS***

The main character Laurel is that annoying chick that gets dumped all the time. You guys know, the ones that wants to control the whole relationship. It's her way, or no way. I'm unsure of how "Joe" even fell in love with her. The sex was hot but Laurel would not shut her mouth. Nag, nag, nag. So negative and rude from the get go. She had no boundaries asking him personal questions weeks after meeting him. Pretty much throwing his divorce in his face the whole time. But yet Joe couldn't get enough. *Scratches head* I don't know of any guy in real life would put up with that for every long. She's one of those girls that need to be told about themselves and then they change. But she doesn't. Joe just falls in love and begs her to marry him. And they live happily ever after.

After one break up too many, writer Laurel decides that she's incapable of love, and that her best course of action is to enter into a marriage of convenience. When she taps Joe, the coffee cart guy to help her get a man's perspective on an article she's writing to prove her theory, he jumps at the chance to go speed dating, mostly because he wants to get to know her. The finished article results in the two working on several more articles, and managing to tumble in the sheets. Will Laurel prove her theory that marriage is better as contract hold water? Or will the two continue to tumble, eventually falling for each other?

This story just did not gel for me. I disliked the heroine and found her to be her own worst enemy. The hero is too good (and of course successful) to be believable. The story was weak, and luckily her writing improves in her later contemporary romance novels like "Special of the Day" and her doggy series. I am obviously scraping the bottom of my "to be read" pile.

A very wittty approach to love. I like how the two have such witty banter and the situation is like no other i've ever read. Definitly a good book to curl up with it.

this book was very slow, and the main characters didn't have enough chemistry for my taste. the heroine is annoying because she tries to prove that she is right all the time, when clearly she is wrong. the book and the characters in it seemed forced. t

I love Elaine Fox's style, I loved If the Slipper Fits, Man at Work and Maybe Baby. That's why I ran out and bought Hot Stuff. After the second chapter, I was sadly disappointed. I liked Laurel's tenacity and wit, and Joe's "too cool for school" personality, but they never have off the wall chemistry like her previous heroines and heros. The plot remains the same, with the same pace throughout the book and I got bored. It was the first book of hers it took me two weeks to finish, instead of two days, which is my usual speed for a really good romance.
While the story wasn't a total snooze, the chemistry felt manufactured and ho-hum, though it was sweet in the end. I would only recommend this if you don't have high expectations.