Average customer rating:
- This book lost me when the hero decides to use sex as a weapon
- A wonderful movie-stars' romance!
- Skip this one -- you will be disappointed
- Can the "Sexiest Man Alive" get a second chance?
- First Brockman book and I'd read another
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Heartthrob
Suzanne Brockmann
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 034546608X
Release Date: 2004-02-03 |
Book Description
Countless readers have discovered the amazing talent that is Suzanne Brockmann, a writer whose novels of suspense continually land on bestseller lists across the country. Now here is one of her earlier beloved books, one that signaled the beginning of a dazzling career.
Once voted the “Sexiest Man Alive,” Jericho Beaumont had dominated the box office before his fall from grace. Now he is poised for a comeback with the role of a lifetime. He wants the part bad enough to sign an outrageous contract with top producer Kate O’Laughlin—one that gives her the authority to supervise JB’s every move, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
The last thing Kate wants to do is baby-sit her leading man, and Jericho may be more than she can handle. A player in every sense of the word, he is an actor of incredible talent—and a man with a darkly haunted past. Despite her better judgment, Kate finds herself irrevocably drawn to him. But is she being charmed by the real Jericho or by the superstar who dazzles the world?
Customer Reviews:
This book lost me when the hero decides to use sex as a weapon.......2007-01-21
From the back cover:
Once voted the "Sexiest Man Alive," Jericho Beaumont had dominated the box office before his fall from grace. Now he is poised for a comback with the role of a lifetime. He wants the part bad enough to sign an outrageous contract with top producer Kate O'Laughlin--one that gives her the authority to supervise JB's every move, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
The last thing Kate wants to do is baby-sit her leading man, and Jericho may be more than she can handle. A player in every sense of the word, he is an actor of incredible talent--and a man with a darkly haunted past. Despite her better judgment, Kate finds herself irrevocably drawn to him. But is she being charmed by the real Jericho, or by the superstar who dazzles the world?
And my review:
This was my first try of Suzanne Brockmann. I was impressed by her writing style, which was flowing the easy-to-read. I also felt like I was drawn into the character's lives very quickly, and it was easy to get a handle on who they really were. Not all authors do this well, so it's a treat to find one who can.
However, this book lost me when the hero decides to get his revenge for being humilated by seducing the heroine, then laughing in her face and dumping her. That is just beyond immature--it's revolting. Sex being used as a weapon is sick, sick, sick. This plot point made me lose any lingering respect I might have had for Jericho trying to turn his life around. I quit reading right then and there.
Yeah, yeah, I know what'll end up happening: he'll fall in love with her in spite of himself and won't be able to dump her and get his revenge. But the fact that he would stoop so low in the first place just makes me want to punch him a good one.
I might give this author another try in the future, but I certainly won't be paying full price for one of her books. It is noted that this is one of the author's earliest books, so maybe she improved over time. I can only hope so. As it is, I can't recommend HEARTTHROB.
A wonderful movie-stars' romance!.......2006-12-23
I really enjoyed this book. The author takes you deep into the film industry. The hero was great, the heroine okay+. Their relationship develops over a movie set - which I loved. Some things are cliches, but overall I would have to say it is an excellent book, and much better than most contemporary romances. Recommended.
Skip this one -- you will be disappointed.......2006-09-12
Listened to this on tape. Didn't like the reader's style. Didn't really like Jericho and didn't want him to have a romantic fling with Kate. Overall pretty disappointed in this one. Predictable that the poor lothario still "gets the girl" even though he doesn't deserve her.
Can the "Sexiest Man Alive" get a second chance?.......2006-07-26
Hollywood bad boy and former "Sexiest Man Alive," Jed "Jericho" Beaumont destroyed his career with booze and prescription drugs. In order to star in the role that will be his comeback, he is forced to sign a constricting contract that requires he report his whereabouts 24/7 to Kate O'Laughlin, the writer/ producer who would rather not have him ruin her movie.
Jed has a dark and tormented past which he does not want to share with the caustic Kate. But as they are forced into closer quarters, an undeniable attraction develops between them. There is no doubt about it - Jed is oozing with charisma. But is she falling for the character or the person playing him?
Brockmann's departure from the SEAL series proves she can write just about anything in a romantic setting. But I found it confusing with the constant change between his name (Jed/Jericho) and hers (Mary Kate/Kate). At one point, I just wanted her to pick one and stick with it! This one runs the gamut of emotions and is a recommended read.
First Brockman book and I'd read another.......2005-04-06
I tried to read the Bodyguard once, many authors and various books later, I'm now trying another Brockman. It was good, kept me anxious to "get back to my reading"...and I liked the characters well enough, the confilict and setting enough to keep going. Having been in the movie business, I found her portrayal real and accurate of what happens behind the scenes without coming off too cheesy. Now, I'm trying to find another Brockman that's equal, hopefully even better.
Average customer rating:
- Sweet, tender, hilarious, and cruel examples of the heart of your average jr. high schooler.
- boring
- perfect gift for teen
- this is fine
- Did I love this? Yes or No, check one: YES
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2Gether 4Ever: Notes of a Junior High School Heartthrob
Dene Larson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Love & Romance | Health, Mind & Body | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
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ASIN: B000EOU3LS |
Book Description
Love! Heartbreak! Homeroom! This collection of real junior high school love notes from an incorrigible recess Romeo captures the high drama, low gossip, and emotional rollercoaster ride of dozens of youthful romances. Intricately folded and secretively passed under desks in the 1970s -- to and from his best friend and his many, many girlfriends -- these notes lay bare the triumphs and tragedies of young love, from the thrilling promise of TLA (True Love Always) to the devastating letdown of "let's be friends" (with maybe a quick trip to Make Out City). Also included are a note-speak decoder (SSS: Sorry So Sloppy) and a handy diagram for folding a triangunote -- the only way to pass notes to your beloved of the week. In the cynical era of the "elimidate," 2gether 4ever is a sweetly hilarious reminder of a time, and an age, when it was okay to wear your heart on your sleeve.
Customer Reviews:
Sweet, tender, hilarious, and cruel examples of the heart of your average jr. high schooler........2007-05-02
What would ever possess someone to hang onto passed school notes from 1976?? Perhaps there's a part of all of us that wishes we saved our notes as well. This is a short, sweet and oddly engaging little book and one of my recent favorites. Consider it a kind of noble literature. Highly recommended!
boring.......2007-01-16
If you have ever passed a note in you life to anyone else, you do not need to read this book. No story line, nothing really that funny or remotely original. Just some notes from some kids to other kids about who they like that day. Very boring.
perfect gift for teen.......2006-03-28
I bought this book for my friend's daughter who turned 12. I saw this book get passed around and saw the girls reading page after page very intently. Curiosity got the best of me so I asked if I could read the book. Wow! It was flashback of my teen-age years when friends and I used to pass notes to one another. The notebooks's contents were hush-hush letters about crushes and puppy love. Its a great gift for a teen to let them know that we have all been there.
this is fine.......2004-10-13
you go buy this for right now or later when u think u have nothing i woke up and waws\\ alone cuz i had been broken up with ma girl, she didnt like me to call her sis, but now i readh this and it is like all my tears over those things she used to do, i see her like she is here buy this for your time alone and treat urself well and do not fret, it is better in the end
Did I love this? Yes or No, check one: YES.......2004-09-03
I couldn't put it down till I had finished the whole thing, then I went back and read it again. It is just a slender collection of notes passed to and from the author during junior high school, but it packs an emotional wallop that you just don't expect -- and it's funny. The notes awaken memories of your own first loves and deepest friendships, a time when you were most vulnerable and most seriously attracted "in that way" to someone (and then someone else, and then someone else). You'll suddenly remember the exact names and faces and voices of the people you loved, befriended, envied and desired when you were 12 or 13 years old. You may find yourself reading it out loud to friends, and then they'll want to grab it and read it without stopping. If you survived junior high school, or are living with someone who's there now, you'll enjoy this.
Book Description
The twentieth century has given us that male phenomenon who, with the wink of an eye and the flash of a gleaming smile, can send whole populations into near-hysteria--the heartthrob. Over the last hundred years the male ideal has shifted through myriad categories, and readers will find them all here in this dazzling array of heart-stopping faces, from Robert Mitchum and Robert Redford to Matt Damon and Leonardo di Caprio.
This lavish photographic celebration is the result of years of combing the finest archives for the best images, many of which have rarely been seen. Personal recollections, written especially for the book by some of the beset-known figures in fashion, film, photography, and literature--including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Tyson Beckford, Isaac Mizrahi, Geoffrey Beene, Gloria Steinem, Helen Gurley Brown, Nancy Friday, Eileen Ford, and Herb Ritts--explore the allure of the mediagenic male as he has evolved over time.
Customer Reviews:
what a bunch of cutie-pies!.......2003-09-04
i thought the pictures of some of the most handsome cutie-pies of the entertainment world were wonderful. i even loved the large colored photo of guy madison in it! gosh, what a great looking man he was!! i wished i was a grown woman back then. i would have dated him in a heart beat! ha! ha! van johnson, robert walker, and woody harrelson pictures were a delight also. this book is a must have for any woman who loves looking at men a lot or "men watcher's". ha!
Picture book without commentary.......2003-04-26
A picture book of 200-odd beautiful male celebrities, mostly movie stars, from the days of Valentino to the days of Leonardo DiCaprio. Most are "glamour" shots, face and torso, with only very occasionally a shirt unbuttoned or removed. Some curious omissions, and some extremely curious inclusions, but I guess beauty is a matter of personal taste.
However, the commentary is terrible. No discussion of the social and cultural trends that impacted concepts of male beauty, just insipid rantings and quotes with no citation. And Reuters is oddly homophobic. Over and over, he tells us about "armies of female fans (and I'm sure a few male)" and "eyes that made women (and a few men) melt." Why are the male fans dismissed over and over in tentative asides in a book marketed specifically to them? How about "armies of male and female fans" and "eyes that made men and women melt?"
It also seems very curious that the biography paragraphs (in such small print that you need a magnifying glass to read them) closet every gay star except Sal Mineo -- even Liberace is merely the subject of "rumors." Does Reuters believe that we won't buy the book if we discover that Liberace, Troy Donahue, Rock Hudson, Ramon Novarro, et al. were gay?
Sorely disappointed.......2002-03-27
The gorgeous Guy Madison on the cover was the sole reason for my purchase of this book on this website. Photos of this actor seem to be very rare, especially from here in Singapore and I'd been thinking about buying this book for the longest time, hoping to see more of Guy. The only thing that made me hesitate was that I had recalled flipping through it once before when I saw it in a bookshop in New York last year and decided against buying it, although I had forgotten exactly why.
When I received the book a few weeks ago after I'd ordered it, I remembered why I didn't buy it... This book, to me, is an inconsistent and insubstantial collection of photos of the men of Hollywood. Admittedly, there are some very interesting and rare photos and portraits, particularly from the 30's to the 70's, but that took up perhaps only 50 percent of the content. The other half was mostly filled with out-of-focus (Richard Chamberlain in mid-stride - I'm sure there are sexier pictures than this one), common (Leonardo DeCaprio in a tux at some awards dinner - how common is that), fanzine pictures that were sadly & disappointingly included. In his introduction, Donald Reuter mentioned that it was difficult to include too many pictures in this book because "... it would either be twice as big (and expensive), or the pictures would have to be the size of postage stamps..." But, looking at the (poor) layout, it seems that there could have been so many more photos that could have been added; for instance, only 2 pictures illustrated the "Golden Boy" section! It is also surprising that Donald Reuter, whose resume includes being creative director, illustrator and designer, can produce such an amateurishly designed book (for all who are short sighted, the captions are TINY-- probably 2 or 3 point text!!)
This book could have been a wonderful tribute to the men of Hollywood, but it is lacking in so many aspects... and there were only 2 pictures of Guy Madison - including the one on the cover!
Some Very Beautiful Men.......2000-08-03
On the plus side, this book has photos of all of the beautiful men in show business and even a few outside of show business. Thus, everyone will find some picture they love. Mine is a shot of Gregory Peck, which I had never seen before, in "To Kill A Mockingbird", in which he is absolutely beautiful. I've seen this movie several times and this shot is not in the movie. It must have been a still. On the negative side, however, unlike most photography books, there is nothing cohesive or uniting about this book other than a huge range of men who were or are heartthrobs. This is especially true since all different photographers took the pictures throughout much of the twentieth century. If you are looking for a specific heartthrob, the odds vary on how well you'll do because there is only one shot per person. I could have used fewer men with more portraits of those few but, of course, I'd want to pick who the fewer men were!
A great book on the Greats!.......2000-03-27
This was a very nice book, and absolutely worth having. I wish the writer included more text. This is particularly so regarding Guy Madison (the cover) whose face, I am sure, sold most of the books before they were even opened. The writer could have mentioned the official Guy Madison Web Site and the web sites for the other subjects in his beautiful book if he wanted to limit text to that extent. In any case, this book is a must for those who love movie culture.
Average customer rating:
- International male romance
- Heartthrob Town From a Poet's Perspective
- Enticing, diverse stories are sure to spark your wanderlust!
- Lit travel guide to places off the beaten track
- The Search for Perfect Sex
|
Postcards from Heartthrob Town: A Gay Man's Travel Tales
Gerard Wozek
Manufacturer: Haworth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
20th Century | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 156023623X |
Book Description
Embark on an erotic journey in search of spirit and gay sensuality
Postcards from Heartthrob Town: A Gay Man's Travel Tales is a passionate ride through physical and emotional landscapes straight to the heart of homoerotic desire. Award-winning author Gerard Wozek colors snapshots of memoir and short fiction with a poet's eye for detail, traveling outward to the edges of the planet while making a sojourn to the depths of his erotic core as he spins a collection of nineteen queer tales that evoke a sense of displacement—and a hunger for journey. Whether meandering around the desolate plains of his hometown in the American Midwest or trekking through the lurid trappings of underground Paris, Wozek describes not locale, but the spirit and feel of each place he visits as a gay man searching for new territory and the untamed terrain of the erotic body.
From "Paris Angels:"
I think of the letters that have brought me here to Paris. Your postcards of the city, dipped in ambergris. The promises of walks through the Tuilleries at dusk, the Bateau-Mouche rides at midnight, riz au lait at the Hotel Vendome. You write to tell me that this is where Fred Astaire stayed in 1936 after making the film "Swing Time" and my mind begins to fill with images of dancers in a plush ballroom, a Gershwin tune playing on the piano, and the tug of two bodies sparking together. I pass over the lines of your last letter which indicate the directions of our meeting point. Though we have never actually seen each other, we have held each other through our phone calls, our instant Internet chats, our correspondences, our thoughts. I write in my journal: "Paris angels, protect me. Protect this new love that aches to soar."
Postcards from Heartthrob Town: A Gay Man's Travel Tales uniquely captures the impulse of one gay man in his search for meaning in the world, redefining travel as both an inner pilgrimage and a journey through the United States and abroad.
Customer Reviews:
International male romance.......2007-04-25
Reviewed by Tyler R. Tichelaar for Reader Views (3/07)
"Postcards from Heartthrob Town" is a collection of short stories about gay men traveling around the world in a quest for sex, love, and companionship. The originality of this collection is partly due to the settings which range from unique sections of the United States to foreign settings including France, Germany, Morocco and Japan. The information the author provides about all these places is astounding--one marvels to think he has visited so many countries, and even more marvelous, if he has not visited all these areas, that he writes as one intimately familiar with each city and its streets. A deeply sophisticated world view is pervasive throughout the work and becomes more so with the progression of each story.
Despite the often exotic settings, the real theme of the book is the emotional journey of being gay and seeking love and understanding. Because the same theme runs through the stories, they build on one another, although the reader may have difficulty remembering distinguishing marks of many of them with a few exceptions where a distinct tone comes through as in "Reuben Ran." What makes the stories true literature is they go beyond simply focusing on the sexual aspects of being gay and delve into the emotional longings and alienation that gay men experience. They are not quick, [...]gay fantasies--although they do border on fantasy at times. The happy ending is not achieved by a sexual act--nor do they deal with the angst of one's sexual identity. They are far from simply "coming out" stories. They surpass these more typical elements of gay fiction. What predominantly sets the stories apart from other gay fiction is Wozek's mature and sophisticated language. In a few stories, the adolescent characters' language seems a bit too sophisticated, but overall, the tone and style is powerful and carries the reader along in an almost dreamy addictive prose toward an often emotionally difficult ending.
"Postcards from Heartthrob Town" is not without its moments of humor however. In the first story, "Tenderness among Wolves," the adolescent boy, just beginning to awaken to his sexual feelings, tries to understand himself by dressing his G.I. Joe toys in grass skirts and allowing them to copulate with one another. The story, "Reuben Ran," is of a lighter, more fast-paced tone, and optimistic as the young protagonist runs away from home to study art in Russia.
Overall sadness permeates the book, a constant sense of dissatisfaction despite or because of the characters' frequent obsessions with sex. We see gay couples falling apart, men learning their lovers have cheated on them, or men who are saddened by a past that might include abuse from a previous lover or a best friend who refused to speak to him again when told his friend was gay. In the end, the book seems largely to be about lack of fulfillment, and not surprisingly, recalls E.M. Forster's novels, although more "Howards End," where the characters strive to connect but fail to do so than his gay novel "Maurice" where the ending is an unrealistic fantasy.
In one story, the main character comes to feel sorry for his lover who appears trapped in his sophisticated facade. Similarly, the reader finds himself caught up in the dreamy, exquisite sophistication of the prose, yet all the beauty of the author's words does not hide the deep unhappiness of the characters and their situations. Whether the reader is gay or straight, he will appreciate that the stories are about the mystery of human relationships in "Postcards from Heartthrob Town." Readers will find their own experiences, longings, loneliness, and exquisite fearful romances depicted in these pages.
Heartthrob Town From a Poet's Perspective .......2007-02-02
Girard Wozek's stories run the emotional gambit. Written with such precise detail it's as if the reader is standing beside the narrator. First and foremost Wozek is a poet. This is obvious from his musical use of language and distinctive images. He has a sensitivity to the emotional complexity in all of us.
This book should not be limited to a gay audience. Rather it is for anyone fascinated by the human condition.
Enticing, diverse stories are sure to spark your wanderlust!.......2007-01-31
In his collection of nineteen stories, a few of which were already published in other compilations, Gerald Wozek weaves a complex tapestry of memoirs, travelogues, philisophical introspectives and erotic fiction. He starts with a couple of sweet stories from his childhood, traveling with his family and knowing he was "different", which paved the way for his passion for travel. Subsequent tales are a diverse combination of adventures while traveling, ranging from mountain climbing in the Rockies to semi-public sex with a handsome stranger in Morocco. Some stories deal with a gay man's relationships, both good and bad, current and past. A few read like disjointed journal entries with short, page-long passages at various locations. The one quality that comes through in each is the author's obvious talent for creative imagery, which puts the reader into the action, no matter how brief the scene may be, to better understand the experience and reactions of the character portrayed. Despite being a confirmed stay-at-home couch potato, I'll admit reading the author's enticing prose gave me an itch to see more of the world as well! I give the book four stars out of five.
Lit travel guide to places off the beaten track.......2007-01-12
Gerard Wozek's vagrant characters in "Postcards from Heartthrob Town" are looking for something beyond the lure of common tourist sites and trendy vacation spas. Some of them are lonely wanderers, aimless loiterers who amble about a city without much of a rationale except to casually absorb the pulse of an overseas vacation town or take up brief residence in some European city in order to blend in with the sightseers and locals. Others seek out more risqué encounters with either their traveling companions or those who are haphazardly met along the course of a trip.
Each of the nineteen stories contained within this unique collection of travel writing offers an affecting sketch of a passionate traveler bound up in the desire to move out of the familiar and commonplace in order to merge with something more enticing, amorous and exotic: a covert kiss in the scummy latrines of the Paris Metro, a pilgrimage to a radical faerie retreat in the mountains of Tennessee, a tryst with a stranger at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a total breakdown in a hallucinatory marketplace in the city of Tangier.
Wozek's compilation dissects the inner promptings of a gay excursionist and tries to get at what propels a traveler to cross over his restrictive borders in the first place. In the centerpiece short story, "Postcards from Heartthrob Town," the adolescent hero has dreams of the perfect Florida beach town, complete with suntanned "Teen Beat" pop stars from the seventies who inhabit this fantasy destination, among them, Bobby Sherman, Davy Jones and John Travolta. The young explorer invents a relationship with these "heartthrobs" who send him make-believe postcards inviting him to secretly meet--underscoring the book's theme that the impetus to venture out beyond safe boundaries is always motivated by imagination and the shifting nuances of romantic desire.
The story "My Polka Kings" is told from the vantage of a spurned lover who recounts his travel memoirs while touring the country of Poland. The narrative, written as a series of aerogrammes jotted to an ex-lover, offers a melancholy portrait of a solo traveler--a man who desires connection with his environs but who is compelled to recount the exploits of a lonely travelogue that is cluttered with memories from other times and places.
This absorbing collection of stories offers a number of historical and geographical insights into colorful vacation locales, mostly sites scattered throughout Europe, while at the same time, creates a tension and interest for the reader by grounding its characters in relationships that weave in and out of a intense connection with each other. Be warned, a few of the stories delve into moments of fairly explicit male on male sexual exploration, (note the bare swimmer's chest featured on the cover) but the bulk of these road tales build on meaningful character portraits and the provocation for wandering to someplace out of the ordinary.
One can't help comparing these fragments of personal diaries and queer travelogues to some of the earlier writings of Edmund White, particularly in "The Flaneur" or even the hypnotic, poetic journaling of beat poet Jack Kerouac. While some of the stories contained within "Postcards" feel experimental, incomplete, or at best, a prelude to what could be much longer pieces, ("Reuben Ran" and "Paris Angels" to name just two) there is something completely satisfying when viewing this collection as a whole. Embraced in its entirety, Wozek's travel-inflected narratives comprise the voice of a storyteller and poet who is skilled at chronicling the chaotic patterns of foreign cities and distant, compelling landscapes, as well as the driving motivations and yearnings of a wild vagabond. These are definitely keepsake "postcards" that one will consider fondly and read over again for pleasure.
The Search for Perfect Sex.......2006-12-25
Wozek, Gerard. "Postcards From Heartthrob Town" A Gay Man's Travel Tales." Harrington Park Press, 2006
The Search for Perfect Sex
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
Gerard Wozek's book is comprised of queer tales of a man's journey "through physical and emotional landscapes" and it is great. His journey as he writes in "Postcards from the Heartthrob Town" is a quest for homoerotic desire and it is a journey that is both wild and passionate. The details he presents are amazing, the combination of memoir and short fiction is a great read and this is a book that speaks to the core of the gay being. As Wozek travels in search of the erotic core that makes gay men what they are, he tells nineteen short stories that show a sense of displacement, of the lack of comfort we feel, coupled with a hunger to keep moving. Wozek does not discuss or describe location or local color of the places he goes to but the emotion, the spirit and the feel of every place he is. He is not looking for love, he is looking for the erotic and he takes us along for the ride.
The places we go are not the normal tourist traps but the evocative, the erotic and the sensual. Unlike other travel books, we don't see the museums and the monuments but instead we feel the pulse of the people. His thesis seems to be that in order to accept ourselves as queer, we must accept the world as a whole. Travel here is a means to the end of that acceptance; to be part of the world we must know the world and there are many ways to get to know it.
In this journey of discovery, Wozek transverses the world and in doing so relates to the reader the things going on wherever he may be. He does this through his stories and each story stands alone with its own unique setting, its own cast of characters and its own array of men--the seducers and the seducees. What he has in common with all travelers is the sense of longing to be a part of the culture and the greatest threat is the sense of heartache that knows no borders. Wozek's wanderlust hurts him and forces him onward from one place to another--from the Southern U.S. where he meets a radical faerie, to the winding trails of Sitges, to cruising the parks in Berlin or eating in a restaurant in Cracow. And it is always the same quest for the erotic.
This is a journey to the very soul of the homosexual experience and during this journey we are presented with vivid remembrances illustrating the lure of travel and showing how our travels influence the course of our lives. As we watch Wozek in pursuit, to the capture and the after play of a potential love that he has lost we are amazed by the pictures of life that he gives us.
Wozek comes across as the product of alienation and like him we see our own alienation. The stories that emerge come from the restless memory that he possesses but he presents them with style and grace and he encompasses the span of gay consciousness. Some stories are rich with sexual detail and others stand on the beauty of Wozek's prose. Others shout out the glory of our lives and the intricacy of gay spirituality. Each story gives us a chance for self reflection and introspection as we probe the need to belong to a larger community. His stories are both personal and universal; his quest is our quest as he attempts to chart the emotions and character of what may eventually become a gay community. This book is most definitely worth a read.
Book Description
Dear Friends,
So why did I leave the glamour of L.A. for a double-wide trailer in Cedar Dell, Texas? Blame it on a biker named Snake. If he hadn't ditched my very pregnant, helpless sister, then I wouldn't be in this sleepy town playing mommy to twins. And I didn't even get to have the sex! Yet.
But there's this hot, handsome Texan in town who wants me -- and the babies. I can really use a hero like Nicholas Sutherland because tattooed trouble has ridden into town and my family is in a fix. Is this out of a movie, or what? It's my bad luck that once the credits roll, Nick's still home on the range while I belong on the beach. Can we possibly find our happy ending?
Sincerely confused,
Tess
Download Description
"Dear Friends, So why did I leave the glamour of L.A. for a double-wide trailer in Cedar Dell, Texas? Blame it on a biker named Snake. If he hadn't ditched my very pregnant, helpless sister, then I wouldn't be in this sleepy town playing mommy to twins. And I didn't even get to have the sex! Yet. But there's this hot, handsome Texan in town who wants me -- and the babies. I can really use a hero like Nicholas Sutherland because tattooed trouble has ridden into town and my family is in a fix. Is this out of a movie, or what? It's my bad luck that once the credits roll, Nick's still home on the range while I belong on the beach. Can we possibly find our happy ending? Sincerely confused, Tess "
Customer Reviews:
Favourites of "My Big Texas Heartbreak" should love this.......2005-05-23
We revisit Cedar Dell and its citizens as this story is a sequel to the above title where we read Nick Sutherland's story. We get to know the man portrayed as Cedar Dell's hotshot, wealthy philanthropic lawyer. The story begins with Tess, a talent manager responsible for many famous faces when she is called by her always-in-trouble sister, Chloe whose "emergencies" aren't always what they seem (i.e. trivial). However, this time Chloe's sister is living in a hellhole of a "house", has criminals chasing after her and threatening her life, her boyfriend has disappeared, she's broke and pregnant to boot. Tess rushes to her sister's side as usual and is horrified to discover Chloe's emergency is too real after all. After the initial shock of finding Chloe pregnant, she is quick to act and solve Chloe's problems for her, starting with moving her sister to a better place to live. However, Chloe stubbornly refuses to leave the "house" which is owned by her boyfriend, Snake's mother.
She meets Nick Sutherland who has been a good friend to her sister Chloe and together they collude to help Chloe. This romance is busy with little dramas (mostly from Chloe) but we see the real man behind Nick. He is running from emotional wounds of his own while Tess struggles with her responsibilities to her sister and her relationship with Nick (she has no intention of living in Cedar Dell- where will this relationship go?) We visit Max and Kate from "My Big Tex Heartbreak" since Nick and Max have become friends after their initial minor competition for Kate. The two have a friendly rivalry going and Nick steals one of Max's maneuvers to remove the another man from Tess's presence after they have a fight. She is close friends with Jake Muldoon, who is a famous sitcom/movie? star and brings him in after their argument, arousing Nick's jealousy. Personally, it was good too see some "fair" competition going as Jake Muldoon has the same "glamourous" appeal that Nick has but on a greater scale. However, Jake's and Tess's relationship is platonic. Just like Max arranged for Nick to be called away on a trip so that he could woo Kate back, Nick now does the same to Jake.
Aside from the romance, there are other issues involved. The plot revolves around solving Chloe's problems. She receives diapproval from the old women "Widows" in the town. She is depressed over her boyfriend, Snake's disappearance. She is very emotionally fraught and has been threatened by goons demanding money which she finds that Snake has hidden, which looks very suspicious. She seeks comfort (platonically) with Snake's best friend, who happens to be in love with her.
This romance is a good one to read - it has some humour, and it is certainly a "busy" book. However, some of the dramas are ridiculous and Chloe is portrayed as a very silly, frivoulous "girl" in a woman's body. The ending was a little pathetic with Chloe's "men" both in jail and still pleading their love for her.
terrific fairy tale romance.......2004-06-30
Twelve years ago, Tess Anderson took the bus to Los Angeles and found employment as a receptionist at Harrison & Associates. Through hard work and skills, she has become a highly regarded talent manager. Tess loves her job and her lifestyle.
Tess' sister Chloe calls with her latest emergency, which is usually not much more than a hangnail. However, this time Chloe is over eight months pregnant, cannot travel, and the father, Snake the motorcycle mechanic, is gone. Chloe pleads with Tess to help her. Though upset that her sibling never mentioned her pregnancy, Tess drops everything to catch the first available flight to Cedar Dell, Texas.
Nostalgic buff and philanthropic dream maker, Nick Sutherland is in Cedar Dell on a renovation project. When Tess yells at him for evicting her sister from that dump of a trailer, he envisions Ginger Rogers. However, he snaps out of his reverie saying Chloe and the babies need a better place to live. Tess agrees, but Chloe prefers to wait there for Snake to return. As Tess and Nick begin dancing to a loving tune, Chloe has twins, but irresponsibly leaves them with Tess while she searches for Snake.
When Astaire and Rogers (make that Nick and Tess) are the center of the ball the story line is a terrific fairy tale romance. However, the twists that the vain Chloe causes are inane and though add tension to the relationship between the lead couple, these antics serve as an unnecessary diversion. "Fred and Ginger" have enough on their plate to make a fabulous romance without Chloe's worthless spins. Still the lead duet makes this a dance worth attending.
Harriet Klausner
Customer Reviews:
The perfect reality tv show..........2004-09-27
Advertising executive Richard Wells thinks he has created the perfect reality TV show, one that will ensure the creation of his own agency. His idea: take a soap opera hottie and have 15 gorgeous women duke it out to become his wife. But when a "cosmetic enhancement" complication keeps one of the contestants from being on the show, Richard is in a panic. Everything is set up for 15 contestants, not 14! He manages to convince his assistant, Bridget Connor, to fill in for the missing beauty, never guessing that she would make it past the first cut. But she does...and Richard finds himself insanely jealous, although he doesn't know why!
Bridget Connor has had a crush of Richard for a while, but she hasn't admitted that to anyone, not even to herself. So when he convinces her to go on his reality show, she only does it to show herself - and maybe to show Richard - that other men can and do find her attractive. When she makes the first cut, she's ecstatic, but it puts a strain on her friendship with Richard. As Bridget is continually picked for the next rounds and creeps closer to becoming a heartthrob's wife, can she find the courage to tell Richard her feelings?
This book had some truly funny moments in it, and some very interesting secondary characters. Fluff-head Raquel, who means well but usually says the wrong thing at the wrong time, and Raquel's "ex"-boyfriend Lars with the fake Swedish/French accent were both amusing characters. The dynamics behind the reality show were interesting, as none of the characters truly wanted to marry a heartthrob off camera (of course, they said something different on camera). Most of them were using the show to further their own acting careers. The book pokes a lot of fun at the reality tv phenomenon and the people who take the shows very seriously.
The romance between Bridget and Richard didn't really sizzle that much. Richard, I must admit, was a jerk. He tried to rationalize everything he felt for Bridget away, and even when it looked like he and Bridget were getting close to one another, Richard had to deliberately ruin it all. Bridget spent much of the book wondering why Richard didn't love her and/or trying to decipher what he was saying to her. Eventually the romance got kicked up a few degrees, but this book is more of a funny story than a romance.
amusing contemporary romance.......2004-09-14
VIP Advertising Agency ad exec Richard Wells expects to gain his freedom and independence with the anticipated success of the reality show WHO WANTS TO MARRY A HEARTTHROB? However, just prior to shooting, he learns he lost one of the fifteen female bimbos hustling after soap opera hunk Brock Brickman due to a boob injury. Because everything is laid out with perfect symmetry for fifteen females, he turns to his plain assistant of three years Bridget Connor to join the horde of women.
Richard figures Bridget will be gone in the first round, but the former star of The Many Days of Life Brick seems to like her. Soon, to his chagrin, Richard finds he is jealous over the attention Brick and the crew provide towards Bridget. However, he cannot do anything except suffer if he wants the sponsor Breathe Better Mouthwash and other firms to applaud his venture even if he knows that he loves Bridgett.
Though there have been a rash of reality shows and some recent novels using that theme, fans will laugh out loud at the antics of the staff especially the women and their interplay with one another and the hunk. Richard is a go getter who never stops to smell the flowers unless it is part of a campaign to sell products and ultimately sell his skills. His toughest campaign has just begun and it has nothing to do with mouthwash as he must persuade Bridgett that she should drop Brock for him. A final twist adds an ironic rock to an amusing contemporary romance.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
In The Lesbian Love Companion, Marny Hall, Ph.D., a psychotherapist with twenty years' experience counseling lesbian couples, explores and celebrates lesbian relationships in all their complexity - and humor. Based on the idea that the key to healthy relationships lies in our ability to keep refining the story of our relationships, it presents the perfect blend of advice and inspiration for every lesbian looking for love. Interspersing real-life examples from Hall's practice, sound advice, and laugh-out-loud observations, The Lesbian Love Companion takes a completely fresh and honest approach to the unique relationship issues near and dear to every lesbian's heart.
"Witty, perceptive, and wise"
- Karla Jay, editor of Dyke Life and Lesbian Erotics
" A delightfully practical and funny guidebook to exploring life after love . No coy language and no judgmental presumptions help us say yes to the relationships we want. When you go shopping for the next commitment ceremony, The Lesbian Love Companion is the perfect gift"
- Jewelle Gomez, author of The Gilda Stories
A wonderful book helping lesbians define our relationships on our terms--making a successful breakup as worthwhile as our commitments."
- Suzanne Westenhoefer, lesbian comedienne
"With dozens of real-life examples, [this] highly creative guide to everyday relationship pitfalls is a veritable Kama Sutra of emotional possibility."
- Alison Bechdel, creator of Dykes to Watch Out For
"[A] lively, smart, funny, and fun-to-read book that challenges our fairy tale notions that we will find one Ms. Right and settle down forever in undisturbed bliss. Hall...offers wise advice about how to keep one's sanity through the ins-and-outs of all these discombobulating and destabilizing experiences."
- Lillian Faderman, author of Odd Girls and Twilight Loversand Surpassing the Love of Men
Customer Reviews:
Completely Misleading, Disappointing, Depressing.......2004-07-08
I grabbed this book impulsively because it claimed to be a guide to lesbian heartbreaks. I've almost read the entire thing and have not seen much advice on how to deal with or understand the unique nature of lesbian love gone bad.
The other unrelated "advice" seems to address a forty-something, old school dyke perspective. Very out of date! And the pervasive notion that lesbians have to abandon the one person, ongoing relationship ideal (that every heterosexual I know embraces and takes as their birthright) and put up with some odd, one-off compromise, like learning to live with infidelity (!), actually engaging in threesomes as a way to enhance and "keep" a relationship makes me beyond depressed.
I am angry that this so-called expert suggests that we must resign to some other set of circumstances to be happy and "happily ever after" is just a myth. Her ideas are gross. I am substantially worse off for having read this book.
If you want to cheer up after a lesbian break-up, DON'T read this book!
You have to have a PhD to read it!.......2003-02-27
Looks cute on the outside.... great cartooon characters, but once you start reading... it is a boring read and wastes a lot of time going round and round and avoiding the point.
Pick up the book and randomly thumb through it, you are likely to run into words such as, juggernaut, perfidious, divettissement and inamorata all in a short paragraph.
don't waste your time.......2002-01-15
This book was given to me by a friend to read as an example of a good self-help book. It purports to be a guide to "how to survive everything from heartthrob to heartbreak", but I read the whole thing without getting any useful information. I gave this book its one star because of the personal stories, which I found to be relate-able, but there was no real "advice" here, just the author's pet thesis, which I found not only less than helpful, but also relatively patronizing. A much more helpful book (and funnier too) is So You Want to be a Lesbian? by Liz Tracey and Sydney Pokorny. While it was written tongue-in-cheek, it offers 100% more advice on hooking up and surviving a broken heart than Hall's. I am really glad I didn't spend the money on this book.
A hilarious guide to the vagaries of lesbian relationships........1998-03-28
This is a smart and engrossing guide to the ups and downs of lesbian love. Hall shows us how to survive by refining and retelling the stories of our relationships. Her experience as a couples therapist serves her well. I loved her beautifully crafted prose and clever puns. There is nothing corny or judgmental here. It's just fresh. I really couldn't put it down. A definite all-nighter--you don't have to be a lesbian to enjoy this book!
Customer Reviews:
Good pictures; poor writing.......1999-03-22
I am a huge River Phoenix fan, and I think that he was one of the beautiful souls of our time. This book had some excellent pictures of both River and his family, but I thought that its content was pathetic. It was written by Grace Catalano, the woman that writes those mindless biographies about Hanson and the Backstreet Boys today. There were some good quotes from River (of course, he always seemed to have a good quote on the tip of his tongue), but aside from that, it's just a teenybopper POV bio, and anyone with an IQ of -41 can read it. It makes River seem so clean-cut and perfect, he doesn't seem human. And he was human. Unless you know nothing about River Phoenix and are desperate, I wouldn't recommend this book.
this book is allright but i have mixed fealingsabout it.......1998-12-01
this book is ok but it was published so early in rivers career I think it was just to satisfy teens.
I LOVED IT! THOUGH IT WAS OLD AND OUT OF DATE INFO!
.......1998-01-13
I HAVE FOLLOWED RIVERS PAST FOR NEARLY A YEAR NOW AND EVEN THOUGH THE BOOK WAS OLD IT HAD AN EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY OF HIS YOUNG LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA, AS WELL AS PHOTOS OF HIM AND HIS FAMILY. I WOULD RECCOMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN RIVER, BECAUSE IT SHOWS THE REAL HIM, REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT HE TOOK DRUGS. BRIDGET
Average customer rating:
- i love this book!!!!!!
- i luv tha boys - but this has nothing to do with them
- Heads Up!
- I REALLY JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS BOOK I REALLY LIKE IT
- GREAT!!!
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Backstreet Boys Journal
HeartThrobs
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
Diaries | Activity Books | Sports & Activities | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books
Blank Books | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books
General | Journals | Book Accessories | Our Favorites | Gift Ideas
General | Journals | Our Favorites | Gift Ideas
Similar Items:
-
The Backstreet Boys: Official Biography
ASIN: 0740704338 |
Book Description
wire-bound journal featuring one of America's hottest musical acts.
Customer Reviews:
i love this book!!!!!!.......2000-07-10
this is a book i love to have and it gives alot of info on the boys but i have all and it's a little book whit only some photos soooo if you are a die hard-must have all bsb fan you should get it!!!!!!!!!!
i luv tha boys - but this has nothing to do with them.......2000-05-14
Tha boys are incredible~! But this book is just a journal with lined paper to write in. it has nothing to do with the boys!
Heads Up!.......2000-04-11
THIS book is a JOURNAL. It is a spiral-bound notebook full of blank pages. There are a few pictures on the front and back covers, but this is NOT a book ABOUT the Boys. If you want a book to write in yourself, and you like the Boys, this is the one for you. If you want to read about the Boys, look elsewhere.
I REALLY JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS BOOK I REALLY LIKE IT.......1999-03-09
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN MY FAVORITE GROUP IN ALLTIME HISTOR
GREAT!!!.......1999-03-01
This book was really good. I saw it in a store and I just had to have it. I read it in the car on the way home and it was great! It gives lots of information, it has lots of pictures too.
Average customer rating:
- a sweetheart of a book!
- History Comes Alive
- Treasure Trove of Colorado History
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Colorado's Legendary Lovers: Historical Scandals, Heartthrobs, And Haunting Romances
Rosemary Fetter
Manufacturer: Fulcrum Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
West | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Colorado | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
West | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1555913725 |
Book Description
This collection of vignettes of famous lovebirds from Colorado's past includes such incendiary historic characters as Baby Doe and Horace Tabor, Mollie Dorsey and Byron Sanford, and Cort Thompson and Mattie Silks. The couples were chosen because of their impact on the state's evolution and their propensity for drama.
Also includes tidbits on: • The optimism that characterizes the West, even today • The historic time period of the gold rush of 1858-59 to 1912 • Trends in fashion and culture from this period
Customer Reviews:
a sweetheart of a book!.......2005-09-02
Colorado's Legendary Lovers is a delightfully written collection of "mini-biographies" of famous (and infamous) Colorado couples. The 51entries average five pages each and are divided into chapter groupings like "Natives and Pioneers" "Scandals and Triangles," "Lovers for Life" and "Haunting Romances." Within these categories Fetter details romances of some of the state's best known personalities of the Victorian era (circa 1840-1912).
There are the expected entries, like Horace Tabor and Baby Doe, Kit Carson and Maria Josefa Jaramillo, Chipeta and Chief Ouray, Spencer and Julie Penrose, as well as an affair of the heart for Isabella Bird. There are less traditional entries such as the "Trinidad Madams' Association" (an early labor movement in the red light district),"the Saga Mountain Charley" (a woman who cross-dresses to exact revenge on her husband's killer), and "Lovesick Ladies of Pitkin County" (illustrating the struggle of same-sex lovers in a more restrictive era). Additional vignettes on the courting customs and tokens such as "Hair Jewelry" and social mores of the time are scattered throughout the volume.
A Denver native and fourth generation Coloradoan, Fetter's lifelong interest in local history and women's history is apparent in her research. Letters, journals and contemporary newspaper accounts are frequently cited in the entries. There is an extensive bibliography of secondary resources. However, the collection is not designed for researchers (although middle school and some high school students could find it useful). It will be popular with history buffs. As historian Thomas J. Noel suggests in his glowing foreword, "Her honesty, clarity, graceful writing and wit make this a sweetheart of a book."
Fetter has written on Colorado history topics for over a decade including Climb Every Mountain, the Story of Garland Country Day School.
History Comes Alive.......2005-03-01
History comes alive in this authentic yet fascinating peek into many of Colorado's movers and shakers. This is NOT history as you remember it from school. No endless list of dates, no dull recitation of soldiers in battle. Instead, the famous and the infamous, along with representatives of the solid stock upon which the state's future rested, are captured in readable vignettes. While Fetter is an historian, she never surrenders to the mundane and ordinary. Every life has a story, and the collection of historic characters--heroines, scoundrels, the tragic, the triumphant--make you wonder if you could have met the challenges of frontier life. . .how your own existence will be viewed eventually. Perfect for history buffs, lovers, students, and visitors to and residents of the state.
Treasure Trove of Colorado History.......2005-02-02
I grew up in Colorado and thought I was familiar with the stories behind the famous names of many of the towns, buildings, streets and monuments throughout the state. However, "Colorado's Legendary Lovers" provided fascinating new insight into these pioneers and introduced me to many previously unknown but equally fascinating characters. With humor and compassion, Ms. Fetter takes the reader into the intimate lives of the politicians, madams, magnates, miners, chiefs, gamblers, scoundrels, heroes, heroines, saints and sinners who contributed much of the color and drama to the rich history of the early West. Some of the stories detail triumphant lives of great success. Others describe tragic figures who never were successful or whom success ruined. A few made me laugh out loud. All are told in detail so vivid that the reader is transported back in time, hearing the sounds coming from the mines and saloons, smelling the perfume and dust, and feeling the heat and cold. If you're headed toward Colorado, this is the book to read on the plane, curl up with in front of the fireplace at the ski lodge or keep on the nightstand at your Bed and Breakfast.
Books:
- Highland Bride (Zebra Historical Romance)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Hot Number (Hot Zone, Book 2)
- Hot Stuff
- It Had to Be You
Books Index
Books Home
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- Texas argonauts: Isaac H. Duval and the California Gold Rush
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- The Face of Home: A New Way to Look at the Outside of Your House
- Stuff On My Cat: The Postcard Box: 30 Postcards
- Perspective Without Pain
- KPF: Selected Works: America, Europe, Asia
- Plants of the Perth Coast and Islands
