9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun sexy story of wits vs. brawn, and will vs. luck, October 9, 2006
I read this book over the weekend and found it surprisingly enjoyable. It's a story of an office romance between Dell and Gabrielle, two marketing account managers who vie for the same major sporting good account. To decide who will get the account (and to make sure HR doesn't think the boss is favoring Dell), they spend a long weekend competing in a survival wilderness contest where the winner gets the account. At first it appears to be a very uneven competition that favors Dell, but Gabrielle is determined. The author really does her magic here, and it becomes a very entertaining story of wits vs. brawn. And will vs. luck. And privileged vs. unprivileged. It was a fun read, and not at all predictable. And it was sexy too. Dell and Gabby make a great couple. I much prefer romance novels where the sex scenes include passion, (instead of sex just for the sake of having sex), and this book delivers that very well. The ending could have been a bit stronger, but it really didn't take away from how much I enjoyed it. As Blaze books go, this one was great.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!*****Let the competition begin!, October 23, 2006
An important marketing account is up for grabs and junior marketing agent Gabby is going to go all out to snag it, even if it means competing against iron-man & resident office hottie Dell in a outdoor weekend challenge. Nevermind that she's not an outdoors type and he the king of extreme sports. Whats she lacks in experience is made up in knowledge of her gear and she may just give Dell a run for the account and his heart.
WOW! Who knew a harlequin could be so good! I generally read full length novels of the decidedly more-serious-romance type, but this was a very satisfying mini-read. Some serious sexual tension in this one with lots of sparks flying all over the place. The 'competition' part was the best and it was a hoot to read when the heroine scored points. The romance was jut right too, sort-of teased you all throughout till near the end -which was *steamy*!
Overall a fun and pleasurable read. No brain required with some good romantic fluff.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a funny, sassy read, February 22, 2008
Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Gabriella Flannery is a junior account exec at a prominent marketing firm who just can't seem to get a break. Always overlooked for the big accounts, she gets stuck with the smaller, almost embarrassing ones. It doesn't help that she has a tendency to let clumsiness get in the way, which has caused many humiliating situations at work. When a losing battle with a potted tree does Gabriella in at a farewell party for one of the employees, she decides it is time to take control and do something about her place in the firm.
Gabriella wants the CEG account, a company selling outdoor gear, more than anything but unfortunately for her, company playboy Dell Kingston thinks the account should be his. Now they must compete in a wilderness survival weekend. Whoever wins the competition hosted by CEG will be given the account. Dell thinks it's a shoo-in that he'll win but if Gabriella has her way, no one will beat her. Until Dell starts to realize there is more to Gabriella than he ever realized and begins to think about winning the account and Gabriella. Who will win this showdown?
I've never read anything by Stephanie Bond before but Just Dare Me has me intrigued enough that I may go out seeking more books by this author. Especially if the humor found here is typical of Bond's work. This book is also much tamer than most Blaze books I read which I greatly appreciated. This left more room for humor and character development. There is one rather long involved scene, but that's pretty much it on the sex side of things. The primary focus here is the sexual tension, rather than the act itself.
I found myself chuckling to myself several times as I listened to Just Dare Me. Gabriella is so determined to win this account that she goes all out. We see her various attempts to prepare for the wilderness weekend which gives a light mood. Who can resist the techniques she employed involving her dog, a baseball cap, and a photograph? Trust me, you'll understand when you read it and will probably laugh as well.
Even more humor is abundant on the trip itself, when we see cocky Dell think he has it all in the bag, only to be shown up time and again by Gabriella's preparation and intelligence. Gabriella has what it takes to come out on top in this war and watching her and Dell battle it out is quite enjoyable. Of course, we know too, when these two finally get together, fireworks will ensue!
Take some time to experience Just Dare Me for yourself. Go ahead, I dare you. Sorry, I couldn't resist the play on words...
© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2008. All rights reserved.
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