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Rating: Summary: Pleasant Fluff... Review: ...But not my cup of tea. The writing itself is very good, quite descriptive with dialogue that for the most part was snappy, but the characterization and plots are one-dimensional. The men have more substance to them than the female leads. If you liked the kind of extremely light comedy "Three's Company" dealt with, you'll like these two offerings. The main joke seems to be clothing falling off or someone not realizing that she's naked as she deals with other people. Women seem to be quite the helpless little things. (Early twenties, natural blondes, buxom model figures and they can't get dates? Come ON...)The heroines are the kind who see a good-looking man and their brains stop functioning -- for weeks on end. I would have liked to have these two come in with a little more on the ball smarts-wise and personality-wise. They're both working women, but the jobs seem more like window-dressing, like something they can jot down on a resume but aren't really interested in or don't need. We do get to see the second twin cooking for a living, but she doesn't seem to do any preparation for her job, cooks only foods that can supply double-entendres, and fights Management briefly for a chance to cook quick, healthy foods... and then when she wins her argument, does not do so. I'd love to see what the author could do -- as I said, the writing itself is good -- if she had a fully-dimensional character to play with and didn't feel she had to deliver such drawn-out slapstick. Sparks flew during a lot of the romantic scenes; keep that in your future writing! Keep the wacky relatives and friends, too. And the gorgeous guys? You did very well with them here as they oozed testosterone, so give us more! Just don't make them start spilling their emotions; as a rule, guys don't do that. A word about the cover, which depicts two blondes in the final stages of anorexia (with one pulling a non-standard hand gesture; check proper finger positioning, please!). With woman's image within the media so grossly distorted these days and so many women feeling they have to follow suit, I feel that this is an improper image to depict, especially on a book directed to women. Harlequin, please desist and put a few more pounds on the women on your covers, at least to Hollywood-slim normals and not showing death's door bulemia. I've noticed Duets putting out two anorexic covers of late -- and both books had to do with slightly OVERWEIGHT women. Three strikes and I won't be buying any more Duets.
Rating: Summary: Twin Pleasures! Review: I loved Jill Shalvis' latest double Duets. The heroines are identical twins who are nothing alike, and the heroes are both gorgeous, sexy, to-die-for males who can't resist them. Fun, sexy and sassy, just perfect for the Duets series.
Rating: Summary: Disaster is a delight! Read your heart out! Review: Jill always seems to know just how to tickle my funnybone. I enjoyed both stories. Fast paced, sexy, they are the perfect pick-me-up for a lazy summer afternoon.
Rating: Summary: Double the trouble and your fun Review: Jill Shalvis' "Blind Date Disasters" and "Eat Your Heart Out" deal with twins Cami and Dimi Anderson and each twin appears in her sister's story, so you get two separate but intertwined stories in one volume. Double the fun. Both are in the Duets light, bright, and humorous style. Cami is launching a career as an interior decorator by re-designing her own townhouse. The contractor, Tanner McCall, heading up the job is fascinated by Cami but appalled by her disastrous blind dates. Of course they are destined to end up together, but first Cami has to face some realizations about herself. Dimi is already an on-air chef, but her show's ratings need a kick and new producer Mitchell Knight is just the one to deliver it, in a way that Dimi doesn't initially appreciate. She's not really crazy about being a sex kitten that can cook, but her desire for Mitch is greater than her desire for propriety. Both stories share appealing, likable main characters and memorably quirky supporting casts. The Cami/Tanner story is reasonably well developed. Dimi and Mitch's story, while having, I think, a more promising setup, is mostly standard romance cliches. That's probably why I didn't give the book a higher rating. I enjoyed reading these, but there were a fair number of empty calories. Which brings us to the cover, which another reviewer derided. I'm personally fond of cartoon-type covers, but it's true that the waistlines on these two are ridiculously narrow, especially when both Cami and Dimi eat a lot of junk food and bemoan the fact that they can't always fit into their jeans. (In other words, they're probably normal-size or slightly over on occasion but certainly not wasp-waisted.) I wouldn't NOT buy Duets because of the covers, but it certainly is perplexing.
Rating: Summary: Definitely a Duets! Review: When I pick up a Duets, I'm looking for funny situations and well-developed characters, and this particular volume definitely gives me the light-heartedness I'm looking for in a Duets volume! In "Blind Date Disasters," identical twin Cami Anderson hires a master carpenter to help redesign her home into a showpiece for her new career as an interior designer. She expects someone older ... more experienced. When Tanner McCall shows up ... well, he's definitely -experienced-! Cami's blind date disasters are amusing, and the relationship between Cami and Tanner is developed well. Cami, specifically, struggles with real issues, which brings additional depth to the story. What really makes a Duet, I think, is a certain light-heartedness, but not so much that the humor interferes with the very real relationship in the story. In "Eat Your Heart Out," Cami's twin sister Dimi is a TV chef with her own TV show. Except ratings are falling, and new producer Mitchell Knight brings himself into the show to inject a little pizzazz. The only problem is that Dimi and Mitch can't seem to let the sexual heat go after filming is over! "Eat" isn't quite as complex as "Blind Date." Dimi and Mitch are both very charming characters, and their relationship definitely has sexual tension. Their repartee on the show is really funny! But the issues in the way of a long-term relationship between them don't seem as well-developed as in the previous story, and so the relationship between them lacked some of the depth I was looking for. Despite some weaknesses in "Eat Your Heart Out," this is a Duets treat. The humor and the heat are wonderful, and it's a whole lot of fun to read! Enjoy.
Rating: Summary: Definitely a Duets! Review: When I pick up a Duets, I'm looking for funny situations and well-developed characters, and this particular volume definitely gives me the light-heartedness I'm looking for in a Duets volume! In "Blind Date Disasters," identical twin Cami Anderson hires a master carpenter to help redesign her home into a showpiece for her new career as an interior designer. She expects someone older ... more experienced. When Tanner McCall shows up ... well, he's definitely -experienced-! Cami's blind date disasters are amusing, and the relationship between Cami and Tanner is developed well. Cami, specifically, struggles with real issues, which brings additional depth to the story. What really makes a Duet, I think, is a certain light-heartedness, but not so much that the humor interferes with the very real relationship in the story. In "Eat Your Heart Out," Cami's twin sister Dimi is a TV chef with her own TV show. Except ratings are falling, and new producer Mitchell Knight brings himself into the show to inject a little pizzazz. The only problem is that Dimi and Mitch can't seem to let the sexual heat go after filming is over! "Eat" isn't quite as complex as "Blind Date." Dimi and Mitch are both very charming characters, and their relationship definitely has sexual tension. Their repartee on the show is really funny! But the issues in the way of a long-term relationship between them don't seem as well-developed as in the previous story, and so the relationship between them lacked some of the depth I was looking for. Despite some weaknesses in "Eat Your Heart Out," this is a Duets treat. The humor and the heat are wonderful, and it's a whole lot of fun to read! Enjoy.
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