Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved It!!, March 31, 2008
Daniel O'Sullivan, an accountant and part owner of the bar known as Prime, lost his wife seven years ago when she was killed in the twin towers. To him, love should be forever so he has been unable to date anyone feeling he would be cheating on his wife. Now Daniel is starting to forget what she looked like and it scares him. Gabe and Sean, his brothers, have been trying to get him back into society and dating again.
Catherine Montefiore works at her grandfather's auction house with her grandfather and mother, her only living relatives. Although she has a degree in art, she feels like she is a disappointment to her family since she does not possess her mother's style or her grandfather's showmanship. Insecure in her artistic skills, Catherine secretly draws the male form. With two disastrous past relationships, she sticks to drawing men during the day and dreaming about them at night. Whenever she can, she escapes to her grandfather's beach house in the Hamptons.
Daniel, manipulated by his brothers, is reluctantly filling-in for Sean at a summer share in the Hamptons with a group of lawyers. When Catherine spots his gorgeous form sitting alone on her beach, she cannot resist drawing him. When they meet, the attraction between them is instantaneous. As they prepare to return home - after spending the weekend together - Catherine spots Daniel's wedding band. When he does not explain about his deceased wife, they part on bad terms. Upon returning to work, Daniel is sent to audit an auction house where financial misconduct is suspected. Coincidentally, it is the place where Catherine works. The suspect? Her beloved grandfather. Will Catherine and Daniel be able to get beyond their personal feelings and work together to solve the scandal at the auction house? Is her grandfather guilty?
SEX, STRAIGHT UP, the second book in the Those Sexy O'Sullivans trilogy, is an entertaining read. This heartwarming, witty romance is filled with interesting, well-drawn characters and a touching, intrigue-filled plot. Readers will find themselves caught up in this steamy story of a man who finds love again after a major loss in his life. I highly recommend SEX STRAIGHT UP. Readers who like this story will also enjoy the first book in this series, SHAKEN AND STIRRED.
Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging story, May 9, 2008
I work across the street from the World Trade Center site, and I usually avoid any entertainment related to 9/11. In a moment of boredom, though, I read an excerpt and bought "Sex, Straight Up," anyway.
I'm glad I did. The book is tastefully done. I don't think I could have read it if Daniel relived that morning in graphic detail or if he was guilt-ridden for surviving while his wife died. Luckily, the author focuses instead on what it's like to move on after a sudden loss. The book is more about the people than the tragedy, which I needed.
Also, the writing is much better than the average Blaze. The characters stay true to themselves -- no overnight personality changes or descriptions that could come from any other romance book on the planet. I love her description of Daniel the accountant sorting photographs until the two stacks balance, or Catherine the art appraiser thinking of their romance in terms of art movements.
Bottom line: This short little book is definitely worth the time. It's sexy, of course, but it's also engaging as a story. And it's packed with emotion (not the over-the-top, rage and wail, TSTL emotion, either).
I really liked Catherine. I really, really liked Daniel. And I'll definitely read through the series after this.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
O'Sullivan series, book two., May 2, 2008
Daniel O'Sullivan became a widow seven years ago, on 9/11. He still wears his wedding band. He still misses his wife terribly. He is still unable to move on. Quite frankly, Daniel has no interest in moving on. Until her death, Michelle and he were soul mates. The chances of meeting a second soul mate in a single lifetime is slim. Most people never even find one. The odds are against him and Daniel has no intention of ever searching. However, his brothers have had enough of Daniel using work as a crutch. If Daniel is not busy with the accounting firm, then he was helping out at the family bar, Prime. His brothers, Gabe and Sean, and even Tessa, Gabe's girlfriend, join forces and use guilt to get Daniel to take a three-day weekend off at the summer time-share beach house in the Hamptons. From the moment Daniel hits the beach, he is counting down the minutes until he can return to work. The beach house time is shared with two other people (lawyers) and their dates. It is all snack foods, alcohol, and wild times. Daniel spends most of the first day on the beach of the house next door to get away from the others. When Daniel realizes that the house next door is currently occupied, and the lovely lady is sitting outside, he approaches her to make sure it is okay for him to sit on her section of the beach.
Catherine Montefiore can tell the handsome man wants to get away from the others. After chatting awhile, Catherine is amazed to hear herself offering one of her spare bedrooms for him to sleep in. He agrees. It is all meant to be very chaste. Yet they end up in one bed. Doing something totally new for her, Catherine decides to have a hot affair for forty-eight hours and then return to her normal life. When the two days are up, Daniel returns to his life and Catherine returns to her family's exclusive auction house. She is hardly back into the swing of art appraising when the family's business is hit by a very public scandal. The board believes her grandfather, who actually owns the auction house, of collusion with another business. The board insists on an independent audit. Daniel is part of that independent audit team. As Catherine and Daniel hit the invoices in an attempt to prove her grandfather innocent, they find themselves unable to keep their hands off each other.
***** Harlequin BLAZE is called that for a HOT reason. Expect some hot bedroom scenes with light erotica. Nothing hard core, but still designed for ages seventeen and up. Consider yourself warned. Having said that, I wish to go on record as stating that author Kathleen O'Reilly is one of the few BLAZE authors that I have come to thoroughly enjoy reading. This is the second O'Sullivan man's story. Daniel's story has a sound plot, engaging characters, and focuses primarily on the romance between the main couple. Be sure your beau is within reach as you begin this tale. This is the perfect way to heat up an otherwise chilling winter evening. *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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