Tag: Julia Harper

Guest Review: Once and Always by Julia Harper

Posted February 23, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Once and Always by Julia HarperReviewer: Tracy
Once and Always by Elizabeth Hoyt writing as Julia Harper
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
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three-stars

IS THERE A PROBLEM, OFFICER?
Small town cop Sam West certainly doesn't mind a routine traffic stop: speeding ticket, stern warning, and sayonara. With a whopper of a blizzard closing in, that's all he has time for. But the lawbreaker he pulls over is anything but typical. From her mile-long legs to her razor-sharp wit, Maisa Burnsey is like nothing Coot Lake, Minnesota, has ever seen . . . and she's about to take Sam on the ride of his life.
BEING BAD HAS ITS BENEFITS
Whoever said blood is thicker than water probably wasn't related to a former Russian mobster. But an innocent mix-up and rumors of stolen diamonds soon have the Russian mob taking an unusual interest in the sleepy little town-and Maisa facing heated scrutiny from a certain tall, dark, and handsome deputy. Sam's dazzling blue eyes beg her to reveal all her secrets, but how much should she tell? Getting snowed in with the sexiest lawman in the frozen north may not be the worst way to decide . . .

Tracy’s review of Once and Always by Julia Harper.

Maisa Burnsey and Sam West had a one night stand a few months ago. Sam got so hooked on Maisa (he calls her May) that he can’t get her out of his head. He knows that if she’ll just give him a chance that they could be great together – and not just in bed. May, however, is fighting him tooth and nail. She’s a bit belligerent to him whenever he pulls her over for speeding, which he does a lot apparently. She just wants to go about her life and not with Sam in it. Her uncle was once in the Russian Mafiya and Sam is a small town cop – those two just don’t mix in Maisa’s mind.

Maisa is visiting her uncle when a huge mix up with luggage occurs. May ends up with a suitcase that’s not hers. Not only is it filled with men’s clothes it has about 3 million dollars worth of pink heart shaped diamonds in it. May knows that it means trouble but is determined to take care of the situation. Her uncle beats her to it and ends up talking to the owner of the suitcase. Before anyone can blink the man who actually owns the diamonds, a guy from the Russian mob, is in town with his thugs and will stop at nothing to get the diamonds back. The townspeople must work together to save their town and the people in it while still getting the bad guy – easier said than done.

This was a cute story about a small town and them working together to save their town. I loved how everyone, despite any differences they might have had going into it all, put those aside and stood side by side to do what needed to be done.

The romance between May and Sam was threaded throughout the story but frankly I wanted more of it. I was upset at May during the first part of the book because she was so testy and nasty to Sam when he was so calm and nice to her. I almost stopped reading at one point because I really didn’t like how she was acting. I decided to keep on and May finally started softening up and letting her guard down with Sam. That made things much better. It’s hard to have a romance when you’re constantly fighting the mob but Sam and May managed to do it. Through it all they managed to work out their differences and still have their HEA.

Despite the mob being involved – and lots of gunfire and bullets flying it was a pretty light read that I found entertaining.

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

This title is available from Forever. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

three-stars

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Review: For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper

Posted January 23, 2009 by Casee in Reviews | 3 Comments

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OPPOSITES ATTRACT?

Free-spirited Zoey Adler is about to hijack a federal agent. And not just any federal agent, but very Special Agent Dante Torelli, a man whose designer suits and Italian shoes are more GQ than FBI. But when her baby niece, Pete, is snatched right in front of her eyes, Zoey doesn’t hesitate to scramble into Dante’s spotless BMW. She needs his help to rescue the baby . . . if only she can ignore his Lips of Sin.

OH, BABY!

Dante’s original mission is down the drain and he’s dodging bullets with a loopy redhead by his side. He likes quiet. She never shuts up. He likes to follow the rules. She throws the rules out the window. But these opposites do more than attract—they ignite. With a henpecked hit man running wild, cooking-obsessed matrons chasing down contraband spices, and a relentless killer tracking them all, Dante and Zoey will risk everything—for themselves and . . .

FOR THE LOVE OF PETE

This book was so effing funny. It’s one of those books where you actually laugh out loud, it’s so funny.

The saying “opposites attract” really applies here. Dante and Zoey are as different as two people can be. That’s why they were so perfect for each other. I liked everything about this book. I liked the beginning, I liked the middle, and I liked the end.

Zoey never thought she’d actually meet the man she had dubbed “Lips”. But when he takes the parking space that she shoveled snow from, well, Zoey can’t help herself from confronting him. It’s when she jumps in front of his car that the shots start flying. Not only that, but the man shooting the gun has Zoey’s baby niece, Pete.

I first read about Dante in Hot. He wasn’t a very likable character, probably b/c he acted like he had a stick up his ass. He seemed like a by-the-book, never breaks the rules, kind of guy. So the fact that he doesn’t take Zoey in right after Pete is taken, shows how far Dante is out of his comfort zone.

Dante is in Chicago to flush corruption out of the local FBI office. Only a select few know what Dante is really doing there. As far as everyone else is concerned, he’s only one of the agents assigned to protect a material witness in the case against a local mob boss. His job gets harder when his investigation collides with the case he’s working on. Baby Pete is the daughter of the witness, who refuses to testify until he see’s Pete with his own eyes.

Part of what made the book so great was how different Dante and Zoey are. Dante is a man that looks like he stepped out of the pages of GQ. Zoey is a woman that works at a health food store and drives a Prius. I loved how Dante had a hard time reconciling the junk-food eating Zoey to the Zoey who works at health food store. You could literally feel Dante’s consternation over his feelings for her. He is so different than the type of woman he’s usually attracted to, yet he’s attracted to her more than he’s been to any other woman.

I loved the hit man and his wife. They added a perfect element to the story.

4 out of 5

This book is available from Grand Central. You can buy it here.

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Book Watch: For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper

Posted December 16, 2008 by Casee in Promotions | 4 Comments

Book Cover

Dear Reader,

The secret is out! USA Today bestselling historical romance writer Elizabeth Hoyt also writes madcap contemporary romance under the name Julia Harper.

As a gift to her fans, Elizabeth is writing an all-new, never-before-published, FREE, short story called THE ICE PRINCESS (this story features Coral, a beloved secondary character from The Prince trilogy–The Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince, The Serpent Prince).

Fans can find the first chapter of THE ICE PRINCESS–along with a preview of the first chapter of Julia Harper’s FOR THE LOVE OF PETE (1/09) together in this Open Book widget.

Please click here to view.

We hope you’ll enjoy the sneak peek at FOR THE LOVE OF PETE and THE ICE PRINCESS, and share the widget with your friends.

Subsequent chapters of THE ICE PRINCESS short story will be available for FREE on the author’s websites: www.juliaharper.com and www.elizabethhoyt.com.

Happy Holidays!

It’s no secret around here that I love Elizabeth Hoyt. Love her. I read Hot by her alter-ego, Julia Harper, and loved it. I can’t wait to read For the Love of Pete.

So answer me this…have you read either Elizabeth Hoyt or Julia Harper?

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Review: Hot by Julia Harper

Posted January 4, 2008 by Holly in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: Hot by Julia HarperReviewer: Holly
Hot by Elizabeth Hoyt, Julia Harper
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: January 1st 2008
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars

For four years, play-by-the-rules bank teller Turner Hastings has brooded over her uncle's wrongful imprisonment. But when two bumbling crooks stumble into her branch (barely disguised in Yoda and Sponge Bob masks) and hold up the place, she sees a chance to do something she's never thought possible: get revenge. She takes advantage of the melee to pull a heist of her own, seizing info from a security box that will exonerate her uncle.
Sent to investigate a bank robbery in small town Wisconsin, Special Agent John MacKinnon discovers the robbers were two not-quite-so-bright thugs and one woman. Now, Turner is on the run. With SA MacKinnon on her trail, she's breaking into the bank president Calvin's house, kidnapping his Great Dane, and for the first time in her life, setting out to break a few rules. But when Calvin hires a hit-man, MacKinnon will have to decide between his career--and saving Turner.

Several months ago, I read The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt. I absolutely adored it. I know several other bloggers who felt the same way. I’ve been meaning to pick up more of her novels, but haven’t done so yet. No particular reason, I just haven’t.

Anyway, I read this book, Hot, over the weekend thought it was wonderful. A light, sexy romp that proved to be better than I originally expected. Then, much to my surprise, I realized this is Elizabeth Hoyt’s first contemporary novel, written under the pen name Julia Harper. I have to say, now that I know and look back, I can see some similarities in the writing style. I also have to say, no matter what name she’s writing under, or in what genre, EH/JH is a truly talented author.

Turner Hastings has been biding her time for four years, waiting for the right opportunity to prove her boss, and the president of the local bank, set her uncle up on false embezzling charges. When two guys dressed as Yoda and Spongebob Squarepants rob the bank on a Saturday, Turner seizes the moment to steel the contents of the president’s safe deposit box. She’s pretty cheeky about it, too, making sure to smile big for the camera as she does it.

John MacKinnon is the Special Agent assigned to look into the bank robbery, and right from the beginning he’s attracted to Turner. There’s just something about her buttoned up look that makes him want to see what’s underneath. But as the case progresses, Mac starts to wonder what major pieces of the puzzle he’s missing, because though it seems like Turner is behind the robbery, the evidence is leading away from her. When a hitman starts taking potshots at Turner, Mac knows he has to get to the bottom of things quick. But as time goes on, he starts wondering who’s in more trouble: Turner for stealing or him..for losing his heart.

This was a wonderful comedy, full of fresh characters and laugh out loud moments. John was a great hero who really complimented Turner. Though he knows it crosses a line, he can’t help but call Turner every day and get sucked into conversations with her. I think the unconventional way they got to know each other (with Turner on the lam and John chasing her whilst talking on the phone) made for an interesting twist.

Turner was a good heroine, too, though she had some emotional issues. I’m not really clear on how she came to be so emotionally stunted. It was hinted at that she’d been abandoned by all the men in her life, but we didn’t really see examples of that, so I was left a bit confused on exactly why she was so wary about having emotions.

Still, she was witty and sarcastic, and I love that in a heroine.

The secondary characters were interesting for the most part, but I felt the story of why the bank president was embezzling wasn’t well fleshed out. His reasons for doing what he did still aren’t clear to me. I understand he needed money, but I have no idea why.

Although, the two bank robbers, Nald and Fish (Spongebob and Yoda, respectively), were hilarious to read about. I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.

One bad spot for me: The local cops were basically characterized as your stereotypical idiot small town cops. For those of you who read my personal blog, you know I’m slightly (ehem) biased when it comes to the way cops are portrayed, and this one really got on my nerves.

Oh, and I did have to suspend disbelief to buy that John was so lax in his duties as an agent. He didn’t really pursue Turner as much as he just chased her. Though I understand that had to be the case for the story to work, I did snort over it a time or two.

Regardless of those issues, however, I’d still recommend it. A light, fun read that gave me a couple hours of escapism.

4.0 out of 5

You can buy it here or here. I’m not finding it in eBook format…sorry!

four-stars

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