Mouth To Mouth [Paperback]

Erin McCarthy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Russ Evans is a Special Ops cop on a stakeout waiting for a guy who has been preying on lonely women and cleaning out their bank accounts. Laurel Wilkins has taken a big leap. Isolated from life because of her deafness, she's made a blind date online, hoping for some casual sex. Russ is more than surprised when he enters the coffee shop and is hailed by the woman he is pretty sure is the suspect's next victim. Laurel is pretty embarrassed when she learns that good-looking Russ isn't her date but not enough to be swayed from her original purpose. When Laurel suggests that they have some no-strings sex, Russ is shocked, but that doesn't mean he is not interested. In spite of their intentions to keep their liaison light and casual, they fall in love. There's still a bad guy out there, however, and Laurel is next on his list. Popular author McCarthy has created a pair of exceptionally engaging characters in her latest witty, sexy, and entertaining romance. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

In love, there's no such thing as a simple plan. Too bad police detective Russ Evans has to learn this lesson the hard way. At the outset, the whole thing really did seem simple. It was just supposed to be your average stakeout: Russ and his partner would scope out both the coffee shop and Laurel Wilkins. It seems Laurel is the new target of Trevor Dean, a con-artist whose notorious game is meeting women online and milking them of their money. But when Russ decides to go inside the shop to get a better look, he discovers that Laurel is hearing-impaired - not to mention drop-dead gorgeous, with a body that makes him forget how to order coffee. To further complicate matters, it seems that Laurel has been expecting Russ. She's under the impression that she and Russ have been instant-messaging each other for weeks and are now here for their rendezvous. Russ is thoroughly confused. Is Laurel playing him? Is she Trevor Dean's accomplice? If her job is to distract him with sex, it's certainly working.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; Later Printing edition (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075820843X
• ISBN-13: 978-0758208439
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #636,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yep, another five star review for Mouth to Mouth!, February 25, 2005

By	baltimore0502 "Hon!" (BALTIMORE, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mouth To Mouth (Paperback)

I just loved this book! I'm a huge fan of Ms McCarthy's books and I think this is her best yet! Russ is tough but sweet - just a real nice guy. Laurel is strong and determined and just plain hugable.

Russ Evans is a cop trying to bust con man Trevor Dean who specializes in "romancing" plain women then stealing their money. But there is something off about his latest mark. She's certainly NOT plain and it bothers Russ that Dean would change tactics with her. He decides to get a closer look and is shocked to discover that this woman knows his name! What the heck is going on here?

Laurel Wilkins has decided to finally break out of her shell and live a little and she's decided to start with a man she met online named Russ Evans. But she quickly learns that the man she has been chatting with online is NOT Russ, but a con man posing as Russ! The real Russ is a cop who is on Dean's trail but he refuses to let Laurel help to bust him much as she wants to. Especially when he figures out that she is deaf (she's a really good lip-reader). The more he talks to her, the more clear Dean's motives become. She lives in a wealthy neighborhood, a big, expensive house and has a trust fund. Add to that the vulnerability of being deaf and she's a great mark. All of which really makes Laurel mad. Just because she's deaf does not mean that she's stupid. She knows that she has brought out all of Russ' protective instincts but she doesn't want that. She wants him - to have a sexual relationship with him. After years of living with her mother, staying in her safety zone, she is determined to break out and live a little - especially since her mom is out of town! And so she and Russ enter into what they expect to be a casual sexual relationship.

Which is fine by Russ as he has enough on his plate with his teenaged brother Sean to look after since the death of their parents. Sean is really having a hard time adjusting to Russ selling their parent's home, to changing schools and to living with Russ. Adding a serious romance into the mix would just tip his life totally off kilter. But there is something about Laurel that he just finds irresistible. She's so sweet and nice and cute and sexy - he just can't stay away from her. And as the investigation continues and they become more and more intertwined in each other's lives, what happened to that casual sexual relationship? And will they ever have enough evidence to bust Dean? Is he still a threat to Laurel?

What an enjoyable read! Russ and Laurel are a really great couple who bring out the best in one another. Their sexual relationship is really steamy. Though I'm not one for cute nicknames, I loved how he called her "Bunny". I know it sounds kind of nauseating but is was really sweet. And he tries really hard to step back and let Laurel do what she wants and live her life without hovering which she really appreciates. And I really enjoyed the romance between Russ's partner Jerry and Laurel's co-worker Cat - talk about opposites attracting! Another great read from Ms McCarthy!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a keeper!, December 7, 2004

By	Alane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mouth To Mouth (Paperback)

Laurel Wilkins wants to spice up her life a little. She's in her mid-twenties and ready to do something more than work in a candy store and share a home with her mother. Laurel has been deaf for most of her life, but she has adapted just fine. It's really not a handicap as far as she's concerned. Laurel is a bit naive and sheltered, but she's definitely not stupid and she knows what she wants. And she wants gorgeous cop Russ Evans. Laurel thought she met Russ online in a chat room through a friend, but it turns out she'd been chatting with a sleazy con-man named Trevor Dean who was impersonating Russ. But the real Russ is definitely drool-worthy. She was ready to have a wild affair with the man she thought was Russ, so why not go for the real thing?

Russ isn't about to stand idly by while Trevor Dean uses his name to pick up women. Dean normally gets close to plain women, then fleeces them. Adorable and sexy Laurel is far from plain and definitely not Dean's usual victim, which made Russ suspicious of her at first. He quickly realizes she's innocent and wants to protect her from the slimy Dean. But his feelings for her aren't just protective. He's falling for her, hard. Russ is rasing his teenage brother and wouldn't have time for a relationship even if he wanted one. Which he doesn't. Or does he? No woman has ever gotten under his skin this way before.

MOUTH TO MOUTH is a great combination of steam, humor and suspense. I'll never think of candy the same way again ;-) Also, I love the way Erin McCarthy handles Laurel and her deafness. It isn't ignored, it's just a part of who Laurel is. Russ is a little overprotective but he'd probably be that way around Laurel anyway, deaf or not. Great book!

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Author You Won't Want To Miss!!!, January 19, 2005

By	Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mouth To Mouth (Paperback)

It's official. I love Erin McCarthy. You are guaranteed a hot steamy romance with great characters everytime you pick up one of her stories. Her latest effort "Mouth to Mouth" not only offers a great story but this time her character's are not "perfect" and as a result the reader will probably identify with them more.

Laurel Watkins is done playing it safe. She wants to live life and so after making that decision she begins an internet relationship with a man who calls himself Russ. She makes a date with him and waits in a coffee shop patiently waiting for her destiny to walk through the door. Well, he does but he's not what she expected or was waiting for. You see the real Russ is a police detective and he's working on a case involving fraud and his suspect is named Trevor. He doesn't know what to make of Laurel. She has turned his head and fast. She is pretty, sweet and can you spell the word naive? Once he realizes that she is Trevor's next victim he does what any good police officer would do. Warn her off of any dangerous Internet interaction. You just never know what you'll meet online.

Laurel can't take a lecture from the yummy Russ and she is tired of playing it safe...so what does our bold new lass do...offers to have a flaming hot romance with Russ. Well, that gets the good detectives attention and quick. Now with the green flag will these two different people find more than just a good time? And more importantly will Trevor turn out to be a bigger threat than they think he will be?

Again, this was a very fast paced read that entertained this reader up until the final page. Although Laurel is deaf this in no way detracts from the storyline or from the romance. If anything it makes it better. Secondary characters and their storylines are essential to this story as well as entertaining. I highly recommend this author and story if you love a little spice with your romance.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com