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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Contemporary Debut!, August 26, 2003
For those who have loved Ms. London's historicals, don't be afraid to pick up her first contemporary, MATERIAL GIRL. I had such a good time with this book, I'm wondering why she hasn't been writing contemporaries sooner. Robin Lear's pampered and spoiled world is about to come to a screeching halt. When her father informs his family that he's dying and wants to make some changes, Robin had no idea that those changes included making her learn the business she's been doing for years. On top of being demoted and put under her ex-boyfriend's supervision, Robin must also deal with the sexy contractor renovating her house. Suffice it to say that they didn't exactly get off to a great start. Jake Manning didn't expect the beautiful woman (who he'd met at the jail, no less) to be the same determined woman who'd hired him to renovate her house. Now, he has to deal with her spoiled, donut stealing fingers, and goodie two-shoes attitude, as well as try to keep his nephew out of trouble and fend off a love struck college girl as he tries to finish his degree. Being attracted to the one woman who treated money as if it grew on trees didn't help matters. But when the sparks turn into fire, Jake sees himself falling right into the flames and love. MATERIAL GIRL is so much fun, I couldn't put it down. Jake is to die for. Family oriented, Jake tries his best to control and love his fourteen-year-old nephew, Cole, but doesn't know how to reach him. Along the way, he grows and adapts to the changes life has thrown at him. Robin also changes and adapts, but for entirely different reasons. She's been spoiled and handed things all her life. Now her dying father wants her to be able to take care of herself, so he makes her start over in learning the business instead of giving her a decorate place at the top. She doesn't quite believe she's as snotty as she is until she is forced to take a good look at herself. The secondary characters are wonderful, complimenting the main story instead of detracting from it. And did I mention funny? How these two meet is hilarious and I found myself snorting with laughter, loving every minute of the bantering between Jake and Robin. With angst and emotion, the reader watches these two fight with each other and themselves, all the while falling in love. Ms. London does a wonderful job of setting up the next books in this series about Robin's sisters, which I will eagerly await. Don't miss this extraordinary contemporary debut from a very talented author. Jennifer Russell, ...
(Former reviewer for The Romance Reader's Connection)
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MATERIAL GIRL, August 8, 2003
MATERIAL GIRL Julie London Berkley Sensation ISBN 0-425-19278-4 August 2003 Award winning and bestselling author Julia London bursts upon the contemporary romance scene with the sassy, sexy story of young, gorgeous and sinfully rich Robin Lear. MATERIAL GIRL is the first of a trilogy about the Lear sisters - Robin, Rebecca and Rachel. Aaron Lear has come a long way from his West Texas roots and the cotton farm he grew up on. His vast shipping empire, Lear Transport Industries, or LTI, was built truck by truck, plane by plane until he was shipping freight world wide. Now he is a multi-millionaire at age fifty-five and dying of cancer. Somewhere along the line he lost his wife Bonnie and his three beautiful daughters. Aaron does not want to die alone, and even though he and Bonnie have been estranged for the last fifteen years, when he calls her she wastes no time getting to him. Aaron also wants to see his three beautiful, spoiled and pampered daughters before he passes on. He's not very happy with the way his daughters are managing their life, and wants to prepare them for real life, not the idle rich life they are enjoying now. Robin has been working as middle management for LTI for four years, maintaining a small office and staff in Houston. Robin's social life sometimes eclipses her business responsibilities and her mentor and ex-lover Evan Iverson has to step in to do damage control and make his reports to her father. Evan wants back into Robin's life and has Aaron's blessing, but Robin is a lot more interested in Jake Manning, the contractor that is restoring her house. Jake Manning grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Houston with a pessimistic mother and a younger brother that died tragically. Jake is juggling his thriving business with night classes in architecture and helping to raise his teen-aged nephew Cole. Although the money he's making on Robin's house pays a lot of bills, the attraction to this scatter brained prima donna can only mean heartbreak and trouble. Robin's self-esteem hits rock bottom when her father "demotes" her and gives her a job on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder; but Jake helps her make lemonade out of this batch of lemons. Can a material girl find true happiness and love with a blue collar "white knight" with a whole lot of baggage? MATERIAL GIRL is full of convincing characters, snappy dialogue, humor and sizzling sensuality. Julia London's writing is smart, clean and a whole lot of fun. Jake has both work boot shod feet planted firmly in reality while Robin's Stuart Weitzman clad feet seem to be running around in circles, but this talented author keeps your interest focused on the protagonists' personal predicaments - their highs and lows; their joys and sorrows. The peripheral characters are as finely drawn and equally entertaining. This fast paced story is first class with "attitude" and will leave you eagerly anticipating Rebecca's story next year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for your summertime, or any time, reading! Betty Cox for readertoreader.com
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A home run book, February 5, 2006
My recommendation: stop reading these reviews and just ORDER THIS BOOK NOW! This was by far one of the very best contemporary romance novels I've read in a long time. It wasn't one of those stories where the hero and heroine fall in love and all of their problems magically work out. These two had to WORK at it.
Several reviewers have commented that Robin (the heroine) was a spoiled brat and they didn't like her. I agree that Robin was spoiled and she had a heck of a lot of issues to work through. But I think her character was written in such a way as to give us insight into WHY she had these shortcomings and therefore make us cheer for her to change. We want to see her succeed in her own personal metamorphosis, because she definitely needs one. Thankfully, her hunky hero Jake can see inside her to the real person waiting to get out and he coaxes her along.
This story had humor (lots of it!), deep characters, heavy family issues to work through, and well-rounded secondary characters. I can't wait to read another Julia London book...RIGHT NOW!
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