Not So Snow White [Paperback]

Donna Kauffman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2006

Can a down-on-her-luck princess really have it all?

A whisper away from thirty, gorgeous Tess Hamilton has been the tennis world’s top titleholder and celebrity since she won her first championship at fifteen. Now the headline-making party girl is getting her first taste of mortality–thanks to new teenage phenom Gabrielle Fontaine. But it’s Gaby’s cool, calm, and all-too-collected brother and manager, Max, who really has Tess seeing double. He’s the first man she can’t seem to seduce–or intimidate. It appears Tess is truly off her game, until a real-life, modern-day fairy godmother steps in.…

Aurora Favreaux, a founder of Glass Slipper, Inc., and an old family friend, has a plan to get Tess back on her stilettos, and it includes an unlikely meeting between Tess, Max, and Gaby at Glass Slipper’s new London headquarters–just in time for Wimbledon. It seems that Tess is going to hit the courts in a whole new way, to prove to the world–and herself–that a woman with the heart of a champion can ace life and love–even after the big 3-0.…

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Tess Hamilton was a top tennis player with attitude. She led a jet-setting life, was a media darling, had money to burn, and kept her family cringing. After a career-ending injury, all that's left is the attitude, and she's desperate for money. Max Fontaine has raised his sister, Gaby. Now 16, she's poised to become the new phenom in tennis. Concerned about Gaby's penchant for temper tantrums, Max sends her to Glass Slipper Inc. for some moderation training. Aurora, one of the Glass Slipper's godmothers, recommends Tess as a coach for Gaby. Who better to guide her than the original bad girl of tennis? Max isn't happy, but Gaby is ecstatic. And Tess slowly realizes that coaching isn't so bad. Max and Tess can't be in the same room without going for each other's throats, which, of course, is a cover for their attraction. Readers will enjoy Kauffman's excellently well-written contemporary romance with its lively byplay, humor, and very human characters. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

 "Excellently well-written contemporary romance with ... lively byplay, humor, and very human characters."—Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553383094
• ISBN-13: 978-0553383096
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.9 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today bestselling and award winning author Donna Kauffman has published over fifty titles, most currently still in worldwide release, with many translated into more than a dozen languages. She has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus to Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and excerpted in magazines, including Cosmopolitan. A previous RITA finalist and DC native, she currently resides just outside the nation's capital in northern Virginia. You can contact her directly through her website at www.donnakauffman.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even if you're not a tennis fan, you'll LOVE this book!, July 17, 2006

By 

Liz Clarry "TKD Goddess" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not So Snow White (Paperback)

Donna Kauffman is a fabulous adult fiction writer. I enjoyed every one of her books (some more than others, but enjoyed them all).

Tess Hamilton has been tennis pro since age 15. But after a shoulder injury during a game and loosing her sponsorship, Tess needs to find a new way of getting money. So, when her brother ends up in Wimbledon (and he's getting married), Tess decides to fly to London and try to get another sponsorship.

Gabrielle Fontaine has just become pro and in her eyes, is being held back by her brother. Now at Wimbledon she's seeking advice and help and a coach that isn't picked out by her brother.

Aurora is now trying to help Tess out by giving her a place to stay and hopefully a job. Although Tess thinks no one knows her financial status but herself, Aurora's a smart lady and knows something's up. Aurora is able to get Tess to help Gabrielle, even though Max isn't happy about it.

Watch sparks fly between Max and Tess. And see Gabrielle go to Wimbledon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sooo Boring!, March 11, 2008

By 

E. Lang (Philly, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not So Snow White (Paperback)

I had read 3 of Donna Kauffman's books (The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, Cinderella Rules, & Dear Prince Charming) before purchasing this one and loved them all. However, if you're looking for the kind of romance or sizzle that was in some of her previous books, skip this one. Or just read the last 75 pages. This is really a book about tennis masquerading as romance. I was so disappointed by this one that I am writing my first ever Amazon review about it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than Sleeping with Beauty, July 2, 2006

By 

Heather Galloway - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not So Snow White (Paperback)

I enjoy this author, and I usually buy her books. However, the last book, Sleeping with Beauty, wasn't really one of her best. I was disappointed when I read it and ended up giving it to a second hand bookstore--not what I usually do with a Kauffman book.

I liked this book a lot better.

Kauffman clearly has a love for tennis and that shows in this book. But also, she managed to write a character, Tess, whom I found believable and endearing. I also liked her hero and his little sister. These were much better characters than those in Beauty.

The Godmothers from Glass Slipper, Inc. were back in this book, but this time the focus is on Aurora. I am beginning to be tired of these mavens and hope Kauffman gets a new plot device, but unlike Beauty, I didn't find Aurora's appearance in this book overshadowing the romance.

And the romance is back in this book unlike Beauty. If I were to rank the books including the Godmothers, I liked Cinderella Rules, then Dear Prince Charmind, then this book, and Sleeping with Beauty a distant last.