Rating: 
Summary: Getting What You Want
Review: Abby Stepp wants only one thing--return to her hometown, get her research project done and get back to Boston as quick as she can. Until she sees her high school crush, bad boy Chase Jordan. But Chase has a secret to hide. And when Chase's former girlfriend discovers Abby and Chase are dating, she's willing to do anything to break them up. Even tell everyone his humiliating secret knowing it will drive Abby away. Kathy Love has written a wonderfully humorous and emotional book that you won't be able to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: Abby's Story
Review: Getting What You want by Kathy Love
October 11, 2004
Courtesy of WWW.LOVEROMANCES.COM
GETTING WHAT YOU WANT by Kathy Love is part of a trilogy of books centering on the Stepp sisters. In this novel, Abby is the main character, returning home to Millbrook, Maine, for a temporary job assignment with Rand Corporation. Her sister, Ellie, the local librarian, still lives in Millbrook in the home that belonged to their grandmother, the woman who raised the three sisters, while Abby left town years ago and had been working in Boston as a scientist.
Abby has dreaded coming home. She has bitter memories of their childhood and the classmates who constantly made fun of the three sisters. Abby left home never expecting to return, and now she is about to face her hometown once more for the sake of a job. It is only for a few months, and she loves her career so much that it was worth returning home.
Barely back in town, Abby and Ellie are about to order a meal at the Afternoon Delight when someone from the past recognizes Abby. It's Chase Jordan, whom Abby had such a crush on back in high school, but being the class nerd, no one had paid any attention to her back then, except to taunt and tease. She didn't think Chase would even remember her.
When Chase sees Abby, he is astounded at how beautiful she has become. But he still views her as the stuck up girl he remembers from high school. Abby, on the other hand, is so choked up she can barely speak. She still has feelings for Chase, but thinks he would never feel the same way for her. She still sees herself as the insecure girl from the past. Besides, she has a boyfriend back home, Nelson, who she feels is her perfect life partner. She will not betray Nelson and decides that she can never act upon this crush she has for Chase.
Later that week, Abby attends a party at her boss's home, and finds that many of her old classmates are there as well. It's not a very comfortable situation for her, thinking they will ridicule her as they did when they were kids. While her former classmates welcome her back to town, Abby finds it difficult to feel the same friendly feelings towards them. Chase again notices her rude behavior, and gets the impression that she feels she's better than the rest of them.
After an embarrassing altercation with one of her former classmates, Abby cannot wait to leave the party, and as she finds her way to her car, she hears Chase trying to start up his old truck. Abby seeks him out. This chance encounter allows Chase to see a different side of Abby, and he wants to get to know her better. He asks her out on a date, but Abby tells him she has a significant other, and says she can only be a friend to Chase, nothing more.
As the two get to know each other as "friends", both have a hard time holding back their feelings. Abby questions whether she should be loyal to Nelson, or move on with Chase. And Chase finds that the more he gets to know Abby, the more he likes her as a person.
This reviewer was pleasantly surprised with GETTING WHAT YOU WANT. It was more than just a romance, and while a lot of romances only touch on the "relationship" aspect and "getting there", this novel went into the dynamics of the relationship, comparing Abby's feelings of isolation and loneliness as a child, to Chase's feelings of insecurity as a man. Many romances often only explore the here and now, but in GETTING WHAT YOU WANT, the romance novel becomes a little bit more complex. It was interesting how the author worked this part of the story into the romance, and it worked out quite well. Along those same lines, it's the characters that make a romance work, not necessarily the situation, and the author did a good job developing not only the protagonist and the leading man, but also the minor characters were developed into three dimensional people that "felt real". GETTING WHAT YOU WANT comes highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful romantic tale
Review: Getting What You Want by Kathy Love is a enchanting novel that will touch your heart.
Abby Stepp had left Millbrook, Maine behind after her painful high school years. Now she is back in town for a few months to do research at a local lab. Abby wasn't expecting to get all tongue-tied running into the former bad boy Chase Jordan.
Chase Jordan had a struggle just to graduate high school and was always in some kind of trouble. Abby Stepp has moved back home, right across the street from Chase. He never really noticed her in school but he sure is now. Chase and Abby agree to an affair but they both find themselves falling for each other. Can they overlook their differences and have a relationship?
This novel really touched my heart. We all have those high school memories that still linger long after graduation. Chase and Abby passion explodes off the pages, they are an amazing couple. Kathy Love is now an auto-buy for me.
Rating:
Summary: Well done!
Review: I enjoyed every page in this book, I couldnt put it down. The characters were so well written that I feel like I know them. Kathy handled Chase's secret very well, I was impressed (he is quite the hottie, by the way). I am happy that we can continue with these characters in at least two more books! Way to go Kathy! You rock!
Rating:
Summary: Memories of small town life
Review: I just finished reading "Getting What You Want" - I loved it! I can not wait to read the next one!
Kathy's gift of writing shines through in this book. She described small time life in Maine perfectly. Her description of characters were reminiscent of characters in my own small town. I laughed, I cried. Kathy's book stirred up emotions that many people feel in their young school days. SHe described vividly how it is sometimes hard to forget how kids are treated in school. Most people do change and others, well, they never change. HOT, STEAMY, SEXY
The love between Chase and Abby was incredible. YOu knew that they loved each other like no other. It wsn't just sex and you knew it from the start. WAY TO GO KATHY! This small time girl & Old friend is so proud of you!!!
SMD
Rating:
Summary: Memories of small town life
Review: I just finished reading "Getting What You Want" - I loved it! I can not wait to read the next one! Kathy's gift of writing shines through in this book. She described small time life in Maine perfectly. Her description of characters were reminiscent of characters in my own small town. I laughed, I cried.
Kathy's book stirred up emotions that many people feel in their young school days. SHe described vividly how it is sometimes hard to forget how kids are treated in school. Most people do change and others, well, they never change. HOT, STEAMY, SEXY
The love between Chase and Abby was incredible. YOu knew that they loved each other like no other. It wsn't just sex and you knew it from the start. WAY TO GO KATHY! This small time girl & Old friend is so proud of you!!!
SMD
Rating:
Summary: Getting What You Want
Review: I loved this book! The characters were believeable and appealing. I loved the humor. The dialogue is natural and is the way people actually speak.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I usually read romance out of habit; I've been reading it for years but haven't enjoyed the genre as much in the past several years as I used to. I can honestly say this book reminded me why I ever loved romance novels in the first place. I can't wait to read her second book in November.
Rating:
Summary: Getting What You Want
Review: Kathy Love's debut novel is a warm, witty, funny, sexy read that had me turning pages late into the night. I loved Abby, a woman who's tried to escape her unhappy past by retreating into a world of intellectual certainties. She's deluding herself, of course, but that makes her even more likeable. Chase is just about the sexiest thing ever--not only because he's criminally good-looking, but because he's kind and talented and vulnerable. Love has an effortless way of creating character--the hero and heroine are convincingly drawn but she can evoke secondary characters' personality in just a line or two. The book is full of laugh-out-loud one-liners, but never at the expense of emotion or warmth. And as a Maine native, I loved the way she managed to capture the charm and the stresses of life in small-town New England. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Stepp sisters' stories!
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific New Author
Review: Kathy Love's novel Getting What You Want is JUST what I want in a book! Her writing captivated me from the first page to the last! Abby and Chase, the main characters, are so well developed that I felt like they could have been former classmates of my own. The painful memories, sizzling attraction, and surprising secret are told with a perfect mix of sensitivity and humor. Kathy Love's secondary characters are nearly as engaging as the main two, and I really look forward to reading Ellie's story in the second installment of this Stepp sister trilogy. I really LOVED this book! It's a true must read! Congratulations to Kathy Love who is definitely an exciting and talented new author of the Romance genre!
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