Surf Girl School (Signature Select) [Mass Market Paperback]

Cathy Yardley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signature Select | Publication Date: December 13, 2005

How to surf like a pro 101

1. find surfboard, beach and hot instructor
2. learn to surf (six weeks should do it)
3. avoid imagining surf instructor without a wet suit
4. relax, and become one with the beach
5. return to work as ultradriven ad exec . . . and surf queen extraordinaire

Allison Robbins needs to relax. Sure, she's a little career-driven -- what girl isn't? But then the little knot in her stomach turns into full-blown panic attacks, and under doctor's orders Allison has to find a nice, physical hobby.

Like any good California girl, she decides to take up surfing. She's even commandeered the services of surf instructor Sean Gilroy -- just the guy to teach Allison's uptight self how to chill. But aside from being unsettlingly cute in a wet suit, Sean lives the typical surfer lifestyle -- casual, laid-back and entirely certain that things will take care of themselves . . . the polar opposite of Allison's world of stress, coffee and more stress.

If only she didn't have to go back to work. Ever.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (December 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373836678
• ISBN-13: 978-0373836673
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,582,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A few random facts about me:

I am a fiction addict.

I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.

I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don't so much read as devour.

I am an out of the closet foodie.

People who follow me on Facebook can attest: I am a foodie-blog whore. Love Smitten Kitchen. Adore Pioneer Woman Cooks. Bake my own bread on a weekly basis (because the recipe is so frickin' easy, a chimp could do it -- and it tastes phenomenal. I am a walking infomercial for this bread. ) Total Top Chef freak.

I am a geekgirl.

I love the San Diego Comic-con, or "The Con" as they call it.

I was part of the SCA -- The Society for Creative Anachronism -- and briefly sponsored my own mini army. I learned to speak some Japanese from anime.

I have a near encyclopedic knowledge of character actors and obscure movies. I have been called to settle bar bets.

I have a more-flirtatious-than-appropriate relationship with Excel spreadsheets. When I used to work at a day job, if I wore lipstick they assumed I was going on an interview. To this day, an entire marketing department lives in fear of my memory.

I love being an author.

Love writing. Love promoting. Love everything about it. And I love hearing from readers. Email me, anytime, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holy surfboards, Batman, WELL-WRITTEN chick lit!, January 13, 2006

By 

Noteli (New York NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surf Girl School (Signature Select) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a closet chick lit fan. Yes, I'm one of those who keeps my paperback on my lap on the subway so people don't oogle at the lurid front covers of whatever light read I'm enjoying.

This one is enough--okay, almost--to make me come out of the closet. Don't judge a book by its cover, front OR back in this case. The blurb on the back makes it sound like a lighthearted, empty-headed romp. While it's certainly fun, this book is much, much more. The characters develop (and they're people I liked), the dialog is witty and dry by turns without seeming forced or contrived, and the protagonists seem like adults with adult minds, rather than teenagers in adults' bodies. And the writing--well, it's just a pleasure to read such well-written prose in a chick lit novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine relationship drama, December 14, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Surf Girl School (Signature Select) (Mass Market Paperback)

Allison is so tense and stressed out her doctor is concerned that she will stroke out or suffer cardiac arrest. She tries various hobbies, but finds them either boring or stressful. In desperation, she tries surfing, but finds she desires her instructor Sean Gilroy, who wants the widget (woman midget) to go home as he feels she will only get hurt.

Sean reciprocates the need, but hides it from his student, who refuses to quit though she is not very good at surfing. Instead she learns something else from her mentor that some tension can be good that is if she can persuade Sean to help her release it. As she pushes to excel, they fall in love, but will the workaholic accept a surf bum as the man who can help her enjoy life without living like a Kamikaze pilot.

Modernize an overworked with the same intensity adult Gidget and you have Allison though Sean is more the Kahuna than Moondog. The relationship between Allison and Sean changes as the story line progresses and that makes for a fine sun and fun romance. Readers will wonder whether Allison can stop to smell the ocean air and if Sean accepts responsibility that comes with a relationship or will they sink to the bottom before their love can fully blossom.

Harriet Klausner