Public Displays of Affection

Rating:
Summary: Fun Romantic Suspense!
Review: "Public Displays of Affection," by fun writer, Susan Donovan was a ton of fun to read. I was glued to my cozy chair from page one on and completely entertained until after I had finished the last sentence! Terrific Book...Terrific Writer! (Highly Recommended!)

Rating:
Summary: "Affection" Sizzles!
Review: 'Public Displays of Affection' was actually my first Susan Donovan novel, but soon after reading the last page, I rushed to add 2 older titles to my Amazon cart!

I thought this book was wonderful from beginning to end. The characters were easy to like and our hero, Joe Bellacera is almost impossible not to fall in love with. Charlotte, a widowed mom of 2 can't forget the fantasy man she spent one unforgettable afternoon with, and when he turns out to be - literally- the guy next door, the memories he sparks only prove how much she missed during her happy; yet tame sex life with her rather dull late hubby. The erotic poetry she secretly writes is her only link to the man shes forced to relegate to her fantasies until he drops into her life out of the blue, bigger badder and better looking than ever. The only damper is the $1 million price on his head, leveled by a drug lord DEA agent Joe is set to testify against - provided he lives!

Joe and Charlotte have sizzling chemistry, and their romantic moments, both past and present, pepper the book at good intervals. The sex is certainly hot and steamy and Joe and Charlotte make a perfect romantic duo. Ms. Donovan has done a hell of a job. This is definately one that will be re-read!

Highly recommended.




Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Susan Donovan Fans!!!
Review: Do yourself a favor and don't compare this book to Ms. Donovan's past titles! This one although not having the same amount of humor as "Knock Me Off My Feet" and "Take A Chance One Me" is still a wonderful read with a great cast of characters. This read is a little bit more emotional then her past efforts and as a result tugs on the heart strings more then tickles the funny bone.

Charlotte Tasker is a young widowed mother of two. She does it all, little league, ballet, working, and cooks healthy homecooked dinners, but has a secret love for cheez whiz and erotic poetry. She also has a memory that keeps her warm at night and that is the memory of the only man she's ever felt connected to. She relives that one incredible afternoon together thirteen years earlier. The things he said, how he made her feel alive and she never knew his name.

Joe Bellacera is a DEA agent that has had to go into hiding. His partner and best friend was gunned down in front of his very eyes. His testimony is key in puting away one of the worst drug lords ever. So where do the power that be send him? To Minton, Ohio of course. He figures that he will die of bordom before he has to testify, that is until he gets a look at his neighbor. No one is more shocked then Joe when he sees his mystery lady laughing in the yard. Joe has not been able to get Charlotte out of his mind nor his heart. He looked for her for years but was never able to find her. Now when he needs to lay low he finds the one woman he has measured all others to. No matter how hard he tries he just can't stay away.

Charlotte can't believe her eyes when she sees Joe. He is her fantasy man and now he's right next door. Can she put aside all of her misgivings and allow herself the one thing that she needs? Together Charlotte and Joe learn everything they missed out on over the past thirteen years and find that their attraction is still as hot as ever. Will they be able to find a "happily ever after"?

This was a wonderful story. Granted Charlotte and Joe do not really have a face to face meeting until almost 90 pages into the book. You still are able to see their attraction via flashbacks and memories. This is more of an emotional read which touches on all the things you can think of when it comes to finding your one true love after living a lifetime without them. Each come to the relationship with their fair share of baggage and Ms. Donovan is fair to this situation.

Ms. Donovan's trademark wit is not as apperant in this story but it would have been out of place. Still there are plenty of quirky characters, and yes Hoover the dog adds his two cents worth of humor. This is truly one read that you won't want to miss out on. I highly recommend this title as well as any of the other's this talented lady has penned!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Susan Donovan Fans!!!
Review: Do yourself a favor and don't compare this book to Ms. Donovan's past titles! This one although not having the same amount of humor as "Knock Me Off My Feet" and "Take A Chance One Me" is still a wonderful read with a great cast of characters. This read is a little bit more emotional then her past efforts and as a result tugs on the heart strings more then tickles the funny bone.

Charlotte Tasker is a young widowed mother of two. She does it all, little league, ballet, working, and cooks healthy homecooked dinners, but has a secret love for cheez whiz and erotic poetry. She also has a memory that keeps her warm at night and that is the memory of the only man she's ever felt connected to. She relives that one incredible afternoon together thirteen years earlier. The things he said, how he made her feel alive and she never knew his name.

Joe Bellacera is a DEA agent that has had to go into hiding. His partner and best friend was gunned down in front of his very eyes. His testimony is key in puting away one of the worst drug lords ever. So where do the power that be send him? To Minton, Ohio of course. He figures that he will die of bordom before he has to testify, that is until he gets a look at his neighbor. No one is more shocked then Joe when he sees his mystery lady laughing in the yard. Joe has not been able to get Charlotte out of his mind nor his heart. He looked for her for years but was never able to find her. Now when he needs to lay low he finds the one woman he has measured all others to. No matter how hard he tries he just can't stay away.

Charlotte can't believe her eyes when she sees Joe. He is her fantasy man and now he's right next door. Can she put aside all of her misgivings and allow herself the one thing that she needs? Together Charlotte and Joe learn everything they missed out on over the past thirteen years and find that their attraction is still as hot as ever. Will they be able to find a "happily ever after"?

This was a wonderful story. Granted Charlotte and Joe do not really have a face to face meeting until almost 90 pages into the book. You still are able to see their attraction via flashbacks and memories. This is more of an emotional read which touches on all the things you can think of when it comes to finding your one true love after living a lifetime without them. Each come to the relationship with their fair share of baggage and Ms. Donovan is fair to this situation.

Ms. Donovan's trademark wit is not as apperant in this story but it would have been out of place. Still there are plenty of quirky characters, and yes Hoover the dog adds his two cents worth of humor. This is truly one read that you won't want to miss out on. I highly recommend this title as well as any of the other's this talented lady has penned!

Rating:
Summary: Love at 55 mph???
Review: I can promise you that I am not a conservative or straight-laced woman, but although I know these novels are based on "fantasy" - I could not believe the concept of this book. I rarely ever give negative reviews.

Charlotte, 22, on the way to the airport (and get engaged to her boyfriend) gives her virginity to a guy in the vehicle that she passes. She marries, but thinks about "her first" (whom she never sees again for 13 yrs.) everyday and he never forgets her either.

Hellloooo??? Who can believe this stuff? Forget the dangers, forget the sexual diseases that a guy like this probably has- but are we really suppose to believe that Joe and Charlotte are these upstanding, loyal people who will never look at another once they are together? After their previous actions? Do you think that people change THAT much? That it was "fate" that made them fall for one another while going 55 mph?!

I can understand couples looking across a crowded room and falling in love, and spending a LITTLE time before having sex but to simply choose a nice looking guy in a passing car to give your virginity to, never even knowing his name seems really lame. Why didn't Charlotte just stand on the street corner for a little while?! As for not being one of the "few who heed the call" - ANYONE with average looks can have sex with LOTS of partners. To choose to be selective takes a LOT more class.

This book wasn't "romantic" in concept, it was absolutely a joke. I had no respect whatsoever for the title characters and even less for the author.



Rating:
Summary: Really, really liked this book!
Review: I was hooked on this book from the beginning. When Charlotte pulled over on the road to roll in the honeysuckle with Joe, I knew she was a different kind of woman. "For many are called but few answer", so to speak. She had an erotic experience that would have lasted her a lifetime, and might have, had Joe not popped up next door just in the nick of time.

Charlotte is devoted to her children, and was devoted to her husband while he lived. I felt sorry for her for living in sexual limbo for thirteen years, knowing that most women or men nowadays don't have the guts to make the best of a situation like that.

The poetry was descriptive and sexual, rather than poetic, but people, I have to tell you, the shortest poem in her repertoir was the funniest--"She rose up so he could get at anything he might want; then she shouted out:

'Nice pants.
Take them off!.'"

I loved the kids and their interaction was real. LoriSue and her numbchuck husband Jim were portrayed well as the type of people most of us know. However, she didn't turn either into total dimwads, and we ended up understanding them better.

The sex, of course, between Joe and Charlotte was stellar. It was kind of hard to read without blushing (I'm an old fashioned kind of girl), but I didn't put it down, either! It was great!
Charlotte is the kind of person in private that we all wish we were, or would continue to be.

You won't go wrong with this book.




Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 *s Not as great as her first two, but still good!
Review: OK, there are some pretty unbelievable aspects to this book, but if you can get past those, you'll find a really enjoyable read. Not as LOL funny as her prior books KNOCK ME OFF MY FEET and TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, this is really more sweet and poignant and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Charlotte Tasker is a widow of eighteen months trying to keep her little family together without their much-loved dad. Her two children, Matt and Henrietta ("Hank") are dealing with their dad's death in very different ways. Charlotte loved her husband, but their sex life was never "all that". Charlotte has never forgotten the man she had an anonymous tryst with 13 years ago before marrying and it was the best sex of her life. In her loneliness, she still fantasizes about her dark stranger all these years later.

Joe Bellacera never forgot the sweet and passionate redhead he foolishly let walk away from him 13 years ago. He searched for her in vain and life moved on. Now he is a DEA agent with a price on his head. Until he can testify against a dangerous drug lord who has offered one million dollars for Joe's head, he will have to lay low in middle America under an assumed name and pretending to be a mystery writer. He finds himself in suburban Minton, Ohio but when he gets a good look at the woman living right next door he is stunned to see "the one that got away"!

Joe tries desperately to stay away from her and her kids fearing that getting involved with them will endanger them - he's still haunted by the murders of his partner and his partner's wife and young son. But staying away is easier said than done and Joe is unable resist seeking out Charlotte and enjoying spending time with her kids. They're everything he wants in his life and he decides to take a chance and grab for happiness. But will they be safe with Joe in their life?

I just adored Joe! He was so sweet and funny and kind. Ms Donovan really has a flair for creating characters that are believable and that you can imagine coming across in real life. The kids were also terrific characters, especially the adorably irrepressible Hank. The only thing I did not care for was her "erotic poetry" - I found it awful, cringe inducing and after the first one or two I stopped reading them - ugh! But Charlotte and Joe are a really great couple and, add in the kids and you get a really sweet family. Another recommended read from Susan Donovan. Can't wait for the next one!

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 *s Not as great as her first two, but still good!
Review: OK, there are some pretty unbelievable aspects to this book, but if you can get past those, you'll find a really enjoyable read. Not as LOL funny as her prior books KNOCK ME OFF MY FEET and TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, this is really more sweet and poignant and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Charlotte Tasker is a widow of eighteen months trying to keep her little family together without their much-loved dad. Her two children, Matt and Henrietta ("Hank") are dealing with their dad's death in very different ways. Charlotte loved her husband, but their sex life was never "all that". Charlotte has never forgotten the man she had an anonymous tryst with 13 years ago before marrying and it was the best sex of her life. In her loneliness, she still fantasizes about her dark stranger all these years later.

Joe Bellacera never forgot the sweet and passionate redhead he foolishly let walk away from him 13 years ago. He searched for her in vain and life moved on. Now he is a DEA agent with a price on his head. Until he can testify against a dangerous drug lord who has offered one million dollars for Joe's head, he will have to lay low in middle America under an assumed name and pretending to be a mystery writer. He finds himself in suburban Minton, Ohio but when he gets a good look at the woman living right next door he is stunned to see "the one that got away"!

Joe tries desperately to stay away from her and her kids fearing that getting involved with them will endanger them - he's still haunted by the murders of his partner and his partner's wife and young son. But staying away is easier said than done and Joe is unable resist seeking out Charlotte and enjoying spending time with her kids. They're everything he wants in his life and he decides to take a chance and grab for happiness. But will they be safe with Joe in their life?

I just adored Joe! He was so sweet and funny and kind. Ms Donovan really has a flair for creating characters that are believable and that you can imagine coming across in real life. The kids were also terrific characters, especially the adorably irrepressible Hank. The only thing I did not care for was her "erotic poetry" - I found it awful, cringe inducing and after the first one or two I stopped reading them - ugh! But Charlotte and Joe are a really great couple and, add in the kids and you get a really sweet family. Another recommended read from Susan Donovan. Can't wait for the next one!

Rating:
Summary: Another Donovan Hit!
Review: Susan Donovan did not disappoint with this third book of hers. I loved the characters, especially Joe. I want him for myself!!

The only thing I didn't like, and this is personal preference only, were the poems Charlotte wrote. I'm just not a "poem" person and found myself cringing when I read them. TG they were short ones.

I'm looking forward to her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Susan Donovan does it again
Review: Susan Donovan's Public Displays Of Affection is a sensual emotional journey.

Charlotte Tasker has walked the straight and narrow for the last 13 years. She married a stable, safe man, had two kids but now is a widow. Charlotte has had a huge secret for 13 years, she had a late night erotic tryst with a mystery man. This mystery man has fueled her fantasies for years.

Joe Bellacera is set to testify against a major drug lord that murdered his friend and his family. So he is hiding in small town, Minton, Ohio. What a shock to see the one woman he could not forget from 13 years ago living next door.

Once Charlotte realizes the new juicy piece of man (to quote a friend of hers) living next door is her fantasy man, she is torn as to what to do.

Joe isn't sure at first if it's worth the risk to Charlotte and her family to become involved. When he changes his mind all bets are off.

Public Displays Of Affection is a well-written story of finding your true self. Joe and Charlottes chemistry is sensational. I could not put this book down.