That's (Not Exactly) Amore (Drama Queens Series #3) [Paperback]

Tracey Bateman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2008

When Laini Sullivan lands a job designing Nick Pantalone's coffee shop, there are two problems: one, Nick's nephew Joe hates all of her ideas and two, Laini has to admit he's right--she's a disaster at design. Still, she can't risk losing the job. To compromise, Joe brings in help on the project, while Laini continues to bake the goodies that keep his customers lining up.
Their relationship is moving along, so when new guy Officer Mark Hall implies that Joe's family is tied to the mob, Laini doesn't want to believe it. But things spin out of control when she meets the family, including "the uncles," who seem to confirm Mark's suspicions. To make things worse, Nana Pantalone makes it clear Laini isn't the kind of girl she has in mind for her grandson. Laini's not sure if she should give Joe the benefit of the doubt or just set her sites on Mark and fuhgetaboutit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tracey Bateman published her first novel in 2000 and has been busy ever since. She became a member of American Christian Fiction Writers in the early months of its inception in 2000 and served as president for the past year. She lives with her husband and four children in Lebanon, Missouri. You can visit her Web site at www.traceybateman.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords (August 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446698954
• ISBN-13: 978-0446698955
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun chick lit tale, August 7, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: That's (Not Exactly) Amore (Drama Queens Series #3) (Paperback)

In Manhattan, as part of her final semester at interior design school, Laini Sullivan must do a real project. She and her project partner Jazz are assigned to make over Nick Pantalone's struggling coffee shop. Nick is all for the two young women adding zest to his shop; his nephew Joe opposes what he classifies as her intrusion and detests all her ideas. Almost as bad is the fact that while all her friends seems to have a significant other in their life, she baby-sits on Valentine's Day.

Whereas Joe is outright hostile towards her; police officer Mark Hall, who she recently met, likes her. They begin dating, which upsets Joe, who suddenly acts nice towards a confused Laini, who went from no men to two men in a heartbeat. However, she is "not exactly sure which of her studs makes her heart beat.

The third Drama Queens chick lit tale (see YOU HAD ME AT GOOD-BYE and Catch a rising star) is an amusing angst laden story that starts with Laini's jocular yet grim aside that she is five feet in seven feet of water. Her asides are humorous, but also poignant and inspirational as the heroine struggles with doubt about herself that makes the choices she has that much more difficult as she has options re her profession and her personal relationships (including with God) but lacks confidence.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Always go with what your heart tells you to do, August 12, 2008

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: That's (Not Exactly) Amore (Drama Queens Series #3) (Paperback)

Tracey Bateman's chick lit books keep getting better and better. They are fun to read and you walk away with a better sense of the characters and yourself. Oh I loved reading about the food in this book. If I had been Laini's roommate, I think I would have gained 20 pounds just smelling the food from the kitchen. I wish I could eat her cinnamon rolls or her stuffed sandwiches. I think Laini is my favorite of the three friends because she acts the most like how I would in her situation. There are many hilarious situations throughout the book. I especially loved the cattiness between Nancy's friend and Laini as they nonchalantly fight over Joe. There are also somber scenes especially involving Laini with her new step family. I was worried at first that there were going to be two good guys for Laini to choose from (you notice how that always happens? When you want a guy they are nowhere to be found, as soon as you stop looking they swarm and fight over you.) Luckily the victor is proclaimed and yes there is a happy ending. I'm sad that this series is over. I loved reading about these three friends and their totally relatable (well maybe not Tabby's) single lives. I know I'll be definitely on the lookout for Tracey's next chick lit series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super fun read!, July 27, 2009

By 

Rachel Romano (Aosta, Italy / Dayton, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: That's (Not Exactly) Amore: A Novel (Drama Queens) (Kindle Edition)

I absolutely ADORED reading this book until (almost) the end. It was fun, witty, down-to-earth, and upbeat all the way throughout the story and I did not miss for one second the drama or nail-biting worries about how the book would come together in the end. It was well written throughout (almost) the entire book.

One pet peeve that really disappointed me (because it put a damper on the happy ending) is that the Italian hero of the book called the lead character a 'bello woman' right at the end of the book. The author translated this as beautiful woman. Now, call me nit picky, but this really bugged me just because it was the only word of Italian in the book and it was wrong. Unless the lead female character was secretly a man, the word should have been the feminine version 'bella' which actually just means 'nice' or 'cute'. If she meant to call her 'beautiful' instead, the correct translation is 'bellissima'. If the book goes to reprint I hope that they fix this little detail.

As much as that little detail irritated ME, I don't think it's a deal breaker and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and happy read. I will purchase other books by this author (and hope that she stays away from foreign languages or gets a translator from here on out!). :)