Spanish Disco (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

by Erica Orloff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A brilliant editor, workaholic, ex-Studio 54 wild child and burgeoning alcoholic-the heroine of this romantic comedy is caustic enough to take the varnish off Bridget Jones's nails. Cassie Hayes, 33, is perfectly happy with her coffee-chugging, 80-hour-workweek life as West Side Publishing's star editor. The closest she gets to nutritious food is the lemon wedges that accompany her daily tequila, and her current idea of intimacy is the incredible phone sex she has with her bestselling author Michael Pearton, who lives a safe 5,000 miles away in London. All this suits her just fine, until famous recluse Roland Riggs, who disappeared from the scene shortly after the publication of his groundbreaking novel Simple Simon, announces that he has completed the book's long-awaited sequel-and that he wants Cassie to be his editor. Cassie reluctantly sets off for the writer's secluded home on Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico, only to discover that Roland is determined to hold the sequel hostage until she teaches him to do the Hustle like a pro so he can woo his disco-loving Mexican housekeeper. While coaxing the book out of Roland, wrestling with her growing feelings for Michael, who is suddenly insisting that they must meet, fending off a tabloid reporter who has stumbled onto Roland's secrets and reconciling herself with her troublesome mother, Cassie has her hands full-and there ain't a decent espresso in sight. This isn't the subtlest love story, even by the standards of the genre, but Cassie is refreshingly free of the self-doubt that afflicts most of her peers.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
A tale about love, publishing and doing the hustle.

"Real life was messy. Sloppy bathrooms I could handle. Love I could not."

For thirty-three-year-old Cassie Hayes, life is about to get messier. She can't cook, unless you count coffee as a meal (she does). She can't commit (just ask her ex-husband). She drinks too much (tequila for breakfast). Of course, she has guided her share of authors to the bestseller list for the literary publishing house where she works (when she makes it to the office). And now she must coax a sequel out of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author-turned-recluse. Moving in with the recluse is one thing, but teaching him the hustle so he can win the heart of his Spanish housekeeper is way beyond the call of duty.

Cassie slowly unravels, with no coffeehouses, no bagels and nothing but sand for nightlife. On top of that, she's having phone sex with her favorite author, the mysterious, London-based Michael Pearton, who has suddenly decided to ruin their perfect affair by insisting that after five years they meet in person. Add a tabloid reporter who is after the literary story of a lifetime, and Cassie's dance card is full.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373250231
• ISBN-13: 978-0373250233
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #777,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As close as RDI's ever gotten to an "anti-heroine", January 12, 2003

By	CoffeeGurl (MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

People who've read three or more installments from Red Dress Ink know that the heroines in said novels are twenty or thirty-something-year-old career women looking for love over cocktails at trendy bars. However, Spanish Disco, RDI's newest chick lit, has a rather unique protagonist -- well, unique for RDI's standards.

Thirty-three-year-old Cassie Hayes is a successful book editor whose life couldn't be messier if she'd tried. After all, she lives on her own, has no fellow-drinking gal pals to mess about with, and, despite the fact that a mysterious English writer is besotted with her, she has no interest in pursuing a relationship with anyone. But when an eccentric Pulitzer Prize-winning author gives her an offer she can't refuse, her life begins to take some unexpected turns...

Erica Orloff does an excellent job in bringing Cassie to life. I was able to relate to Cassie's gripping and realistic situations. Cassie is as close as RDI's ever gotten to an "anti-heroine," for the protagonist's complex personality has a slightly darker edge.

I am duly impressed with the novels that Red Dress Ink has released in the last few months. There's no doubt that this publishing house is venturing into some more literary work. I recommend this fine little gem. RDI enthusiasts won't be disappointed with this one...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable contemporary romance, January 18, 2003

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Though West Side Publishing book editor Cassie Hayes now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, she has never shredded her New York City lifestyle, which means coffee at any hour. In the case of her top novelist, Michael Pearton that could mean three in the morning her time as he calls her from England whenever he suffers writer's block or needs phone sex. Cassie likes this relationship because she fears an in the flesh coupling.

Pulitzer Prize winning recluse Roland Riggs agrees to allow West Side to publish his first work since he won the Pulitzer for Simple Simon decades ago. His condition is that the editor resides in his remote home to teach him how to disco dance and court a woman because he is in love for the first since his wife was murdered. Cassie has the assignment that makes her stomach grind not so much because of the spicy food served or that she will be hustling her butt off, but because relationships are not her thing. Yet when Michael becomes extremely jealous, as he loves his Floridian based editor, she begins to reconsider what life is all about encouraged by Roland's struggle to regain his.

SPANISH DISCO is an enjoyable contemporary romance that plays out on several levels as the cast consists of walking wounded souls. Though the tale evolves around gun shy Cassie, readers also obtain a reasonably deep look inside the souls of Roland, Maria (housekeeper and the love of his life), and Michael. Fans of dramas with a dysfunctional relationship theme as its core will want to disco with Erica Orloff's romantic romp.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book!!, June 7, 2003

By A Customer

This book is my favorite Chick Lit book ever because it was different. It was super funny, very witty, and I couldn't put it down until the last page and the surprise ending, which I did not guess. This is the best book Red Dress has ever done!!!