Return Engagement [Mass Market Paperback]

Lynn Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2003

Love is sweeter the second time around. . . .


Act One: Girl Leaves Boy
Lindsay West may have the face of a Hollywood starlet, but the demanding life of a teen celebrity never suited her. So nearly twenty years ago, she left her hit TV show and returned to her hometown of Belle Coeur, Missouri. Now Lindsay takes a role in a new play at a regional theater, unaware that she’ll be sharing the stage with her former cast mate, one-time heartthrob Noah Patrick.

Act Two: Boy Tries to Win Back Girl
Noah Patrick took the gig at the Belle Coeur Theater hoping it would help revive his stalled career–but it was his heart that got the jumpstart. Playing opposite the beautiful and enigmatic Lindsay, he begins to understand that fame is fickle and fortune is fleeting but true love lasts. Growing up together on the set of the show that made them both stars, Noah didn’t give Lindsay much thought. But now she has grown into someone impossible to forget.

Act Three: Anyone’s Guess
Fighting off man-eating bears, Lindsay’s quirky family, and a pretty serious case of pneumonia, Noah will do whatever it takes to prove that this former bad boy has turned into a man Lindsay can love . . . before the curtain falls!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Noah Patrick was the heartthrob star of a hit television show, Betwixt and Be Teen, but when his drinking spiraled out of control, he lost everything. Now in his thirties and a recovering alcoholic, Noah accepts the lead role in a play written by Joline, his agent Vivienne's vindictive daughter, and soon finds himself meeting the quirky citizens of Belle Coeur, Missouri. Among them is his beautiful former costar and Vivienne's eldest daughter, the widowed Lindsay, who is also acting in Joline's play. Noah's memories of Lindsay are fuzzy, but Lindsay has never forgotten how she gave him her heart and he cheated on her. As the two work together, Lindsay is surprised to see how much Noah has changed. Soon their late night script-reading meetings turn into much more, but will Lindsay be able to forgive Noah or will their secrets destroy them once again? With wacky characters, a wonderful small-town atmosphere, and a love story that won't quit, Michaels' romance will keep readers completely engaged. Megan Kalan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Praise for Lynn Michaels
and Mother of the Bride

“Throw the rice and cut the cake! Mother of the Bride is a winner.”
–JULIE GARWOOD

“This humorous romantic comedy warms the heart with its zany yet believable characters and snappy dialogue. . . . Michael’s keen sense of comic timing and oddball characters never fail to entertain.”
–Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804119619
• ISBN-13: 978-0804119610
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,219,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favorites!, February 19, 2006

By 

Tracey Eller (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Return Engagement (Mass Market Paperback)

Love, love, love this book!! I have reread it half a dozen times since I bought it when it first came out and it just gets better with each read.

Noah, the hero, is the main reason I love it so much. He's incredibly hot (a requirement, of course!) but he's also sweetly endearing. He's insecure, he screwed up and he's just starting to get his life back on track. He's a recovering alcoholic who hit rock bottom. The author doesn't gloss over this, but treats it as the never-ending battle that the disease is. Unlike many books, no excuses are offered- no tragic past, no horrible life-altering event that sent him over the edge. He just plain got out of control. Gosh, now I just made it sound like a depressing book but it isn't! We meet him after he has cleaned himself up and is on the upswing. It's wonderful to watch him ride to the top again.

As with all Lynn Michaels books, this one has a colorful array of supporting characters and you'll be laughing out loud. It's one of those books that you just don't want to end. So, I do the next best thing... go back to the beginning and read it again!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I adored this book!, October 6, 2003

By 

Marisa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return Engagement (Mass Market Paperback)

I read Mother of the Bride and was waiting for this one to come out -- it's superb! Better than Mother of the Bride! I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning reading it: it was fresh, frank and sexy. Run to the store for this one!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lynn Michaels does it again!, February 12, 2004

By 

mahikahn (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Return Engagement (Mass Market Paperback)

This was an enjoyable book that held my interest. Noah was a heart throb actor who threw everything away with his selfishness, drinking and lack of concern for the future. Now he has a chance to turn everything around. He stopped drinking two years ago and is trying his best to be a caring, likeable person.

Lindsay was a good mom and a good sister, too good! Which brings me to Lindsay's sister Jolie. This girl didn't even deserve to be called human! For 30 years it was her mission in life to make everyone around her miserable because her mother had left her when she was five and taken Lindsay to Hollywood. Yes, terrible but she punished and blamed everyone around her particularly Lindsay. Jolie didn't have one redeeming quality, she was manipultive, insulting and downright cruel! I found it unrealistic that her family hadn't hung her up by her toenails years before!

I was also a little confused as to why Lindsay still found the need to mourn her husband's death and not allow herself (or her son) to have a real life after 8 years. Especially since very little info was given about him.

But that aside I enjoyed this book as I ususally do with Lynn Michaels. The secondary characters were hysterical and I adored them.

I would definitely recommend it!