Customer Reviews

Neck & Neck (Berkley Sensation)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is part of a mini-trilogy that uses the Kentucky Derby as a backdrop. The other two books - Ready & Willing and Fast & Loose - don't have any crossover characters, but the formula is basically the same. Insert a beautiful man, a beautiful woman, two of their best friends as the sub-plot characters, and set the book in Kentucky - and voila, you have another book! This book is very formulaic and follows the same basic outline as the other two books (and many of Beverly's other books as well). The main character, Natalie, is a fledgling event planner that hopes to score Russell Mullholland (a big time celeb) at her first major event. Unfortunately, Russell is a recluse so Natalie struggles with ways to meet him; she stalks him around town but meets resistance in the form of Finn, his bodyguard. What more is there to say? The book is predictable the entire time and the only thing that kept me reading was the humor - if nothing else the humor is a trademark of Beverly's. Her characters are funny and their conversations and thoughts are very normal and relatable. Is it a must read? No. Is it a beach read? Sure, just don't expect too much.

Natalie Beckett has had a string of failed business ventures, but keeps on trying like the motto says. This year she is a party planner who's working a Kentucky Derby Eve soiree that will either make or break her business.

She needs a star attraction who, by showing up, will bring the infield crowd with him or her. She thinks reclusive billionaire video game creator Russell Mulholland, who is in town, would be perfect. However, in order to persuade Mulholland to come to her gala, she needs to get past the hunk, his bodyguard, Finn Guthrie, who is like an offensive line protecting the quarterback from a persistent women he is attracted to; he and Russell trust no one with their secrets not even a woman he could love.

This is a laugh out loud amusing contemporary romance with a relevant nod to the Derby and an insider look at why almost famous people turn paranoid as stalkers are a cell phone away. The story line is brisk and breezy as Finn sees Natalie initially as a tabloid stalker, then a nuisance and finally something else. Fans will enjoy his metamorphosis as Natalie the nuisance never quits.

Harriet Klausner

This was a very fun read and I have to say I truly laughed out loud more than once over the hilarious dialogue. Bevarly has a very clever way with words and I could really picture the conversations taking place. Even though there was a great deal of "passive" versus "active" action, (lots of mental conversations) the way it was written was so funny that it was easy to read.

One scene in particular: Russell, the millionaire is stuck having dinner with Natalie's so-called fiance, Dean Waterman; very funny the way Russell mentally changes Dean's name to Dim Witterman, or Dunce Weaselman throughout the entire converstation. Truly inspired. I couldn't stop laughing.

Loved references to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky in general. Now I want to go visit.

Professional party planner Natalie Beckett has one shot to make a go of her fledgling business and to do so she has to make society dame Clementine Hotchkiss's Kentucky Derby Eve Fundraiser Gala a phenomenal success. But in order to make Clementine's party the talk of the town, Natalie needs to convince reclusive billionaire Russell Mulholland to attend. There's just one problem: a big, brawny, devastatingly handsome roadblock in her way - Russell's head of security, Finn Guthrie.

Finn has learned since childhood to trust no one, especially not some party planner set on stalking his best friend. Sure, Natalie is temptingly gorgeous, but Finn isn't about to let that distract him from his job of protecting Russell and his son Max. But Finn's determination to ignore Natalie is about to be put to the test because Natalie will not be ignored.

Sparks fly in this enchanting read by Elizabeth Bevarly. Neck & Neck is fresh and fun with not one, but two romances that are sure to captivate. The first is Finn and Natalie's love story. Their romance is a delightful case of opposites attract. It was entertaining watching the intractable Finn fall for Natalie when he was absolutely against the idea.

The subplot of Neck & Neck, however, captured my attention even more than the main romance. From the very beginning of the tale, Ms. Bevarly broke my heart with Russell, a widower with a teenage son who has been in a downward spiral since his wife's death. I so wanted to see Russell find happiness and was so happy to see him fall in love with Ginny Collins, a single parent herself. Unlike Finn and Natalie who are truly different from one another, Russell and Ginny are a couple whom she perceives as opposites but are, in fact, more similar than Ginny realizes. Ginny and Russell's romance grabbed my heart and didn't let go, adding a great depth of emotion to Neck & Neck.

Alternately humorous and heartwarming, Neck & Neck was a wonderful, gripping read from beginning to end. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Bevarly and it definitely won't be the last!

Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I really liked this book. It was a little slow, but I like it anyway.
This book is almost perfect contemporary romance for me. I definitely enjoyed of the writing style, plot, and characters. Now I am looking forward to read the rest of this trilogy.

This novel has two love stories - Natalie and Finn and Russell and Amber/Ginny. Russell is a billionaire who Natalie (party planner) wants at her Kentucky Derby Eve party but Finn his bodyguard is not going to let her near his boss and sparks FLY. Across town Russell goes strip club and finds himself attracted to a waitress Amber. Amber dresses the part but when her shift is done the red wig stays behind and most of the make-up too - she is full-time student and single mom. It's a cute story - in the end it made me want to travel to Louisville, Kentucky.

If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest; Red's Hot Honky-Tonk Bar, Double Play (Berkley Sensation) and Start Me Up.

Natalie Beckett is a professional party planner in a bit of a crisis. She's putting a Kentucky Derby party together for a big socialite to benefit unprivileged kids and it will either make or break her brand-new party planning career. Thing is, the guest list leaves something to be desired. In the sense that there's barely anyone of interest on it and that's what she needs desperately. She has to make this party the best one of the several Derby parties, not just so both her and the client don't end up looking like losers but also because Clementine Hotchkiss, the client, would be able to give a nice, big fat check to Kids, Inc, the benefit.

Natalie's willing to do anything, including stalking - I mean scoping! - the reclusive video game creator, Russell Mullholland, to attend the party. However, Russell's pretty much a hermit and he never goes to any of these parties (or any place, really, except maybe strip clubs) so she's in for a challenge. But before she can try to persuade him to go to the party Natalie has to go through Finn Guthrie, Russell's main bodyguard, who just happens to be totally gorgeous. Will she be able to convinced Russell to go? That is, if she manages to get through Finn first.

Neck & Neck is a seriously laugh-out-loud funny contemporary romance. That was one of the major things that I liked about it: the humor. The secondary characters, Russell and Amber/Ginny totally stole the story for me. They seemed so genuine and I was more interested in their part of the book than the actual main characters. Natalie and Finn's chemistry was great to read but I didn't feel the same attachment to them as I did to Russell and Amber/Ginny, I couldn't relate to them. At times, I just zoned out, some of the descriptions seemed really drawn out and it bored me. However, the great humor, along with down-to-earth secondary characters was what the made this story an enjoyable read.