Mounting Desire (Little Black Dress) [Paperback]

Nina Killham (Author)

Book Description

Series: Little Black Dress | Publication Date: July 1, 2006

As one of the nation's favorite romantic novelists, Jack Carter knows romance only too well. But what he really wants now, after his traumatic divorce, is romance in his personal life. Recently he's realized that this can only mean one thing: true love waits. Enter Molly Desire—fully paid-up sexaholic, she views lodging in Jack's house as a necessary evil until she gets a place of her own. But surprisingly, the chaste Jack doesn't seem to inspire her with lust—instead, with an ambition to write her own racy romances—and suddenly stiff competition starts to rock the roost.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Killham's rollicking second novel (after How To Cook a Tart) cleverly sends up the romance genre while standing as a funny, romantic novel in its own right. Jack Carter, nom de plume Celeste d'Arcy, is a successful romance writer living in Venice Beach, almost as irresistible to women as one of his throbbing heroes. But after a failed marriage and too much casual sex, lonely Jack is now a "born again virgin" waiting for his true love. Enter Molly, a formerly successful businesswoman fired for sleeping with her hunky but incompetent assistant. As a favor to his sister, who's Molly's friend, Jack allows the suddenly broke and homeless Molly to move in with him. Soon, Molly is authoring her own romances, ones featuring more handcuffs than petticoats. While Jack suffers writer's block, promotes abstinence among his friends and dates controlling, chaste Heather, Molly publishes popular novels, gets knocked up and grows beautiful in Jack's eyes. Killham aims for a witty gender role reversal with these two characters—Jack is romantic, finicky and worried while Molly behaves more like a hormonally charged teenage boy than a liberated woman—but the author often sacrifices the characters' credibility for cleverness. Nonetheless, readers will still wish the best for these unlikely lovers in this fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read. Agent, Isobel Dixon. (May) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Jack Carter has everything a woman could want: he is single, has a successful job as a romance writer, and owns a house in Venice Beach, California. But he is a "born-again virgin," and women have terrorized him in their attempts to force him to break his vow. Enter his sister's friend Molly, who needs a place to stay after being fired for inappropriate sexual behavior. Reluctantly, Jack agrees to his new temporary roommate. Molly decides to try her hand at writing romances, but while Jack actually is looking for romance, Molly is just looking for hot, steamy sex. As the two opposites live together, their lives deteriorate into a hilarious free fall of miscommunications and individual sexual misadventures that lead them to reevaluate what they are looking for in life. With a cast of characters both hysterical and endearing, Killham's extremely funny take on the dating scene, and on how Americans complicate their lives by seeking an ideal instead of reality, is a highly amusing read. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755332776
• ISBN-13: 978-0755332779
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 4.5 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,295,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, I'm Nina Killham. I'm the author of three books: How to Cook a Tart (Bloomsbury), Mounting Desire (Bloomsbury) and Believe Me (Penguin). I was born in Washington DC but now live in London with my Australian husband and children. Before writing full time I had a variety of jobs, including working for ABC News, The Washington Post, Columbia Pictures and an earplug factory. I hope you enjoy my books. I always love feedback which you can give to me through my website www.ninakillham.com. Thanks!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical parody on romance novels!, March 16, 2009

By 

Lisa M. Korpics (NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mounting Desire: A Novel (Paperback)

Mounting Desire is a hysterical parody on the romance genre. I dislike romance novels - at least the "bodice ripping", "She hated him - yet she was drawn to him at the same time" type, which is why I absolutely LOVE this book! It's intelligent humor that pokes fun at not only romance novels but also how we are trained to look at romance as an idealistic artificial moment - from the books we read - to the 30 second "diamonds are forever" commercials you see around Valentine's Day! Nina Killham's writing is smart, subtle, and laugh out-loud funny.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A movie in the making, May 22, 2005

By 

gaffy (Katonah, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mounting Desire: A Novel (Hardcover)

I got into it straight away. I had to keep sneaking off so I could read in peace. The two main characters are believable, and I couldn't wait to find out if they finally got together. I also liked the amusing dramas that came their way, and the supporting characters rounded it out perfectly. A perfect beach read and a lot of fun!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Wonderful Entertainment, March 17, 2009

By 

Donna G. Storey "writer and Japan scholar" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mounting Desire: A Novel (Paperback)

As a busy mom, I'm always looking for a fun book to whisk me away from the routine. MOUNTING DESIRE was the perfect mini-vacation--enjoyable from beginning to end. There was literally a belly laugh on every page, and yet, Nina Killham's genius is that each joke is brilliant social satire as well. Although on one level the story takes a witty view of dating and romance, I found myself truly rooting for the unlikely pair--a romance writer whose ideal woman disappeared with the corset and an earthy modern woman who is all-too-comfortable with her appetites--to get together. If you like "Sex and the City," you'll find this smart and humorous take on male-female relationships is just your cup of tea.