Fair Play

Rating:
Summary: I don't know why I bought this, but I am so glad I did!
Review: I'm a fairly critical reader - I don't like most "contemporary romances", I find that they are usually poorly written with uninteresting characters. I really prefer British "chick lit", chock full of odd characters who are often difficult to "like" but who are always very interesting. Maybe that's why Theresa doesn't bother me the way she seems to bother some of the other reviewers. Hey, she's had a terrible experience (thus the weirdness about hockey players) and like a lot of people (at least a lot of people in fiction!!) she is trying to run away from home (even though she's all grown up). Oh, I'm not a complete sour puss - I think Michael is perfect (yeah, maybe too good to be true but it's fiction!!) Weak spots - Reese (too one-dimensional, we could all smell a stinker except Theresa - good villains are always more complex) and I agree that a bit more humor between all of the characters could help. I'll definitely look for her first, Body Check, and be on the lookout for more from this author!

Rating:
Summary: Fair Play
Review: I bought this book because I am a hockey fan and there are next to no romance books that I know of with that sport featured in any role. It was very humorous which I also like in a romance. I will now read the first book by this author which is a prequel to Fair Play.

Rating:
Summary: Theresa Falconetti has 2 cardinal rules:
Review: She will never, ever date an italian man or a hockey player. Unfortunately for Michael Dante, who has fallen head over heels for her, he is both of those things. Michael, a hockey player for the NY Blades, refuses to give up and pursues Theresa with a determination that manages to both please and annoy her but mostly annoy her. Theresa has enough on her plate what with a huge corporation trying to take over the PR business she and her friend Janna have sweated blood to keep from going under and her father dying of cancer. The last thing she needs is the confusing feelings she is developing for Michael. But Michael is not easily intimidated by Theresa's rebuffs because unlike her he knows that they are meant for each other. He knows about the emotional scars she keeps carefully hidden and so he won't give up until she realizes that he's the only man for her. However, poor Michael will have to bend over backwards and then some to win the heart of the reluctant Theresa and bring about a happily ever after.

The best thing about this book was Michael. He is so adorable, sweet and romantic it is impossible not to fall in love with him. Theresa, on the other hand, is a trial. Her stubborness and her utter stupidity when it came to Michael made me want to bludgeon her repeatedly over the head with a sharp object. However, I still consider the book a keeper because Ms. martin has created the perfect beta hero in Michael and while I found hard to like Theresa she won me over by the end. I recommend this book for those who would love a sweet, funny, endearing hero (read: no alpha male antics) and a lighthearted story that's also light on the love scenes (very mild love scenes).

Rating:
Summary: Heroine is self-centered and the hero is a wimp
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. It starts of pretty good and then bottoms out about half-way through. The heroine (Theresa) is tough and wants more out of life than what her parents had. I like that about her. But then she turns into a neurotic, self-centered snob. She wants him, she doesn't want him, she wants him, she is afraid to want him. When she finally realizes that he is THE ONE...I didn't care any more.

And then there is the hero (Michael). From the beginning, he is a wimp. He takes "sensitive" to a whole new level. In fact, all the men do. When two tough hockey players start about "women troubles", it had the potential to be a hilarious view from the male mind. Instead, it was unrealistic and absurd. I like my heroes to be strong and sensitive, but not wimps. When he finally grew a spine, he flipped the other way and became cruel. Neither the hero nor the heroine could figure out who they were or what they wanted.

Overall, this book was not a hit.

Rating:
Summary: Great story with a wonderful hero
Review: This is my first book by Ms. Martin, and will certainly not be my last!

This had everything that you need in a great romance novel: well-written; the hero is to-die-for; and a romance that unfolds slowly so that when the consummation scene arrives, it's a natural conclusion to the hero and heroine's feelings for each other.

Love scenes are done tastefully: sexy and erotic without any smutty purple prose.

Only quibble with this story is that I think that the heroine's past trauma played too big of a role in that it kept her from seeing the hero as a worthy romantic figure for far too long.

Rating:
Summary: "Fair Play" scores a goal with me.
Review: You will love Michael's and Theresa's characters. Michael has pursued Theresa for years and she wants nothing to do with him -not just because he is Italian (she is too and that drew quite a reaction from Michael). Theresa wants nothing to do with any hockey players, no less any man, after almost being raped. I loved the strong family of Theresa and Michael's brother, Anthony. Michael is very patient with Theresa, believing he can get her out of her shell. Great Humor in this story. I always love that in my romance stories. Definitely Recommend and hope Ms. Martin continues this series.

Rating:
Summary: Michael is adorable . . . Theresa, not so much!
Review: Whether or not you will like this book will largely depend on how you feel about the lead female character Theresa Falconetti. Many will dislike her (and many did judging by some of the reviews) and wonder what Michael sees in her. Though I did not dislike her, I'm not sure I can say I liked her either. I did understand her, however. She's a woman who wants more out of life than what she perceives other women of her background have or strive to have. I've known people like her who on some level are ashamed of and/or don't fully appreciate their family and look at life on a very superficial level. Basically, these people just need to grow up and discover what's really important. This book is Theresa's often-painful journey to that discovery, which sometimes overshadows the romance.

Theresa grew up Italian in Brooklyn. She hates all the stereotypical aspects of this life and longs to be a part of the more cosmopolitan, cultured world of Manhattan. She dreams of marrying a rich WASP professional - not an Italian, alpha male "goomba" from the old neighborhood. And that's how she (wrongly) sees NY Blades hometown boy Michael Dante. The second strike against Michael is that he is a hockey player. Those who read the author's first book, BODY CHECK, know that the then flirty and open Theresa went out with a Russian hockey player who attempted date rape. Theresa survived intact, but is left shaken, changed and more determined than ever to pick the "right" kind of man. But she is frustrated that her family and best friend and business partner, Janna are always championing Michael. And now, it looks like she'll have to work with him as his family's restaurant has hired Janna & Theresa's PR firm to spruce up their image and expand their clientele.

Michael first met Theresa two years ago, before the Lubov incident, when she was a feisty, flirty, fun girl who loved to tease and curse at him in Italian. He was instantly smitten. When he meets with her at the restaurant to discuss business, he can't get over the change in her. She now dresses more conservatively, wears her hair pulled severely back and has taken to hiding behind heavy, dark framed glasses that Michael suspects she does not need. Despite his best efforts, she refuses to succumb to his considerable charms, though on one or two occasions she relaxes and lets her "roots show" with him. He believes that Theresa is The One and refuses to give up on her, even going so far as to consult his cousin Gemma who dabbles in tarot and witchcraft! And not only is he having problems with Theresa, but his volatile older brother Anthony is fighting all the changes in the restaurant and to top it all off, Mike is not playing his best hockey and his coach, Ty is all too aware. Man, he just can't catch a break! And when Theresa begins to date a rich, yuppie attorney, Mike justs cut his losses and lets her go, though he never stops thinking about her or giving up hope.

Of course we all know from the get-go that Reese Banister is not what Theresa believes. Janna warns her that she doesn't trust Reese, but Theresa refuses to doubt him. She wants to believe that he is her WASP prince charming eventhough her family and friends take an instant dislike to him. And then there's always Michael there in the background who, much to Theresa's annoyance, always seems to come out on top when she compares him with Reese. Unfortunately, it takes a crisis for Theresa to finally see that she has been placing value on the wrong things and to realize that Michael is a man who will be there in good times and bad offering unconditional support to those he loves. But has she pushed him so far away that she can never get him back?

Though I wasn't wild about Theresa, I did adore Michael. He's sweet, kind, gentle and funny. With him at her side grounding her, Theresa can't help but become a better person eventually. Michael's evolving relationship with Anthony is also satisfying as the brothers face off over the future of the restaurant. Looks like the next book will be about free-spirited cousin Gemma, though whether she will become involved with one of Michael's teammates or not, we'll just have to wait and see. Though flawed in some ways, I still enjoyed this story. I like the author's sense of humour and her way of bringing life in the Big Apple alive for those of us who don't live there. I'll look forward to Gemma's story!

Rating:
Summary: Another Great One
Review: This book was just as great as Body Check and I can hardly wait for the next one. Hoping it will be a story about Michael's tough brother Anthony. Hint Hint . This was a really great book I couldn't put it down.I love the way she writes a book and makes it feel so real to life, applause for another great one. Thanks Deirdre Martin for the great reads.

Rating:
Summary: oh ick!
Review: I am so disappointed after reading this book. I thoroughly enjoying Body Check and figured this follow-up would be in the same vein, but this was definitely not what I expected. It was not fun, spunky and entertaining. It was a difficult and frustrating read. Theresa was an annoying brat who under-appreciated her family and Michael, and she never made sense to me; Michael, a total sweetie, seemed pathetic in his pursuit of Theresa, who came across as a lunatic; and to top it all off, Theresa's and Janna's (the heroine from Body Check) PR firm wasn't doing so well. Maybe other readers liked this book because it reflected life more accurately, but I didn't like reading about the trouble the girls were having keeping their business afloat - I read books to escape and I felt too bogged down with everyday struggles reading this. And I hated how they had to go to Janna's husband Ty for money - I wanted the girls to be successful on their own. Overall, what I think disappointed me the most is that I truly liked Michael and think he deserved a better story and a better girl.

Rating:
Summary: Deirdre Martin does it again
Review: I sat down with this book in the morning and literally couldn't stop reading it. Theresa and Michael are rich, fully-developed characters. Reading was like a conversation with my best friends. While I knew all along that Reese Bannister was just using Theresa, I wondered how Theresa would figure it out. Michael Dante is a true hero--compassionate without losing his manliness. Theresa reminded me of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz--she needed to go through a lot of trauma before realizing "there's no place like home." Wonderful read.