Public Displays of Affection [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Donovan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

Charlotte Tasker has always been a good girl, so she married the most decent, reliable man she could find even though their love life was a bit on the predictable side. Thirteen years later, she's a widowed mom who runs her company, prepares three vegetarian meals a day for her children, and volunteers for just about every good deed in town. But no one knows that Charlotte has a secret weakness for squirt cheese, erotic poetry-and the mystery man she lost her virginity to in a reckless roadside tryst, moments before she got engaged. They never exchanged names, and even now, Charlotte can't stop fantasizing about that spectacular stranger...

DEA agent Joe Bellacera isn't crazy about having to hide out in Minton, Ohio before testifying at the trial of a notorious drug lord. But he's handling it just fine...until he lays eyes on a fiery redhead and a hot little body he'd recognize anywhere. Joe's never had another woman like Charlotte since that day thirteen years ago. Now she's his neighbor-and strictly off-limits...

Amid the balmy, honeysuckle-scented breezes of a Midwestern summer, sense and sensibility are about to be subverted by an ice cream-loving dog, conspiring kids, and nosy neighbors. And when the Widow Tasker's fantasies meet the rock-hard reality of Agent Bellacera, let the fireworks begin...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Donovan's latest romance (after Take a Chance on Me), orgasms are much on the mind of widow Charlotte Tasker, who spent a mind-blowing few hours with a hot stranger 13 years earlier, but who hasn't been as lucky since, as her late husband's laid-back sexuality didn't match her wilder urges. Still, raising two kids alone doesn't leave room for anything other than fantasies—until Charlotte realizes that her handsome new neighbor is the man from her past. For DEA agent Joe Bellacera, the timing of their unexpected reunion couldn't be worse. With a drug warlord's $1 million bounty on his head forcing him into hiding, he needs to keep a low profile, not get involved with the woman who nearly scalded his skin off with her lovemaking and then took his heart with her when she drove away. But when Joe decides fate shouldn't be ignored so easily, Charlotte doesn't stand a chance. Goofy comedy, white-hot sex and ticking-bomb pacing will keep readers glued to the pages. Joe suffers from hunky alpha-male syndrome, which makes him seem less complex than Charlotte and less memorable, but all in all, this is a surefire crowd-pleaser—for the crowd who appreciates orgasms, that is.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for Public Displays of Affection

"Sassy, smart, and sensual. Susan Donovan will steal your heart."---Christina Dodd, New York Times bestselling author

"Fresh, fun, and oh so sexy! Susan Donovan is gonna be a star!"---Susan Andersen, USA Today bestselling author

"A perfect blend of humor, highly charged sexual tension, and emotional intensity. Susan Donovan is a must read!"--Janelle Denison, USA Today bestselling author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312992327
• ISBN-13: 978-0312992323
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Please visit my website at www.susandonovan.com for everything you'd ever want to know about me and then some.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romance comes full circle, March 12, 2005

By 

Dr. Edward Dow (Pewaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Displays of Affection (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a good romance but a tough act to follow Knock Me Off My Feet, which is one of my all time favorites.

This book dealt a lot in the flashback to the one time event 13 years earlier when Charlotte met Joe for the first time and lost her virginity to him among the pine needles at a road stop. Neither she nor Joe could forget this meeting. Charlotte left the scene to pick up her intended husband Kurt at the airport after which he proposed and she accepted. Then 13 years later Joe, now a DEA agent undercover as he awaits his testimony in a drug lord's trial, moves into a house next door to her in Minton, Ohio. Neither she nor Joe knew each other's name and are shocked to see each other again.

Charlotte is now a widow with two children. She is lonely and thinks about Joe every day. Joe fears he needs to get out of Charlotte's life so that he and her family will not be brought into the danger with the million dollar price on his head. But he finds it difficult to stay away from her life and decides to remain in Minton.

This was a nice romance but not what I would call steamy as most of that drama took place 13 years ago and is just recalled many times. It was more of a family drama which was still enjoyable.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspense and chemistry galore, May 20, 2005

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Public Displays of Affection (Mass Market Paperback)

Charlotte has been a widow for just over a year, but still dreams about the anonymous partner who she gave her virginity to on the eve of Kirk's proposal, as it was the most erotic night of her life. Suddenly the guy that just moved in next door has her interest piqued. He bears a striking resemblance to the nameless man she still fantasizes about. Soon, she realizes that he's the man she was with, and his name is Joe. What she doesn't know is that he's a detective forced to live in the small Ohio town in the witness protection program due to upcoming testimony against a drug lord. And he knows exactly who this suburban mom is and the passion she's capable of. Despite wanting to get the heck out of there, Joe starts spying on Charlotte, and becomes intrigued with her once again. Soon they are getting horizontal and he is becoming an integral part of her life. But he fears that the drug lord, Guzman may try to get at him by hurting Charlotte or her children.

There is some great nail biting moments and all the requisite steamy encounters you come to expect from a Donovan book. This one also has lot of heart with Charlotte's devotion to her family.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, January 21, 2005

By 

Love Reading - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Displays of Affection (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the best book I've read in a long time. I loved the humor, the characters, the story line, the writing--everything in one book--unbelievable!! It had me laughing, lusting, sighing, in envy, in suspense, and everything in between. This is the first Susan Donovan book I've read, but I am definitly a new fan. Can't wait to read the others. It's infinity great! :-)