Drive Me Wild

Rating:
Summary: There's a reason this book quickly hit the USA Today list!
Review: ...And it's because it's terrific! It's one of those heart-warming fun-reads about a home-town girl who falls for the bad boy (who has come home to do her a favor).

But oh, boy...this book is not without spice! Julie Ortolon knows how to write about people falling in love. (And the scene after Laura meets Brent in the bar is HOT!)

A great read!
Next, please!

Rating:
Summary: There's a reason this book quickly hit the USA Today list!
Review: ...And it's because it's terrific! It's one of those heart-warming fun-reads about a home-town girl who falls for the bad boy (who has come home to do her a favor).

But oh, boy...this book is not without spice! Julie Ortolon knows how to write about people falling in love. (And the scene after Laura meets Brent in the bar is HOT!)

A great read!
Next, please!

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes it's just meant to be . . .
Review: A first novel that really delivers! My first book by this author was "Lead Me On", then I read "Falling for You". I'm looking forward to reading "Dear Cupid" to bring me current (and can't wait for "Don't Tempt Me" due early in 2004). Ms Ortolon's obvious love of Texas and her feel for small town life add to the charm of her stories.

Brent Michaels has really made it. Handsome, wealthy Houston news anchor, he's come a long way from the abusive, wrong-side-of-the-tracks, poverty of his broken childhood. No one in the small town of Beason's Ferry ever thought he'd amount to much, so he left and never looked back. But a charity "Dating Game" event organized by the only friend he ever had brings him reluctantly back to his hated home town - on the condition that she is one of the contestants!

Laura Morgan, dutiful daughter of the town doctor, has never left Beason's Ferry. She lives a sedate, conservative life organizing charity events and occassionally dating the town pharmacist. She never misses the evening news watching Brent with pride, longing and a bit of envy, for she'd love to move to Houston and make her own life, but she's always felt a duty to stay with her father.

And so, when the former Brent Michael Zartlich selects Laura to be his date, they see each other again for the first time in years. There is obvious attraction on both sides, but Brent tries hard not to act on it. Laura's the white-picket-fence, two kids and a dog type and that life is definitely not for Brent. With the childhood he had, he's convinced he'd make a lousy husband and father and has no intention of ever trying. Laura assures him she's not looking for those things, and decides to move to Houston for the summer, get a job and pursue a relationship with Brent. Things go well until they get serious, of course and I think I'll stop there. You'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens!

Brent and Laura are both likeable characters, especially Brent - so smooth and confident on the outside, yet a bundle of insecurities inside, particularaly when dealing with the people from his past. A recommended read!

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes it's just meant to be . . .
Review: A first novel that really delivers! My first book by this author was "Lead Me On", then I read "Falling for You". I'm looking forward to reading "Dear Cupid" to bring me current (and can't wait for "Don't Tempt Me" due early in 2004). Ms Ortolon's obvious love of Texas and her feel for small town life add to the charm of her stories.

Brent Michaels has really made it. Handsome, wealthy Houston news anchor, he's come a long way from the abusive, wrong-side-of-the-tracks, poverty of his broken childhood. No one in the small town of Beason's Ferry ever thought he'd amount to much, so he left and never looked back. But a charity "Dating Game" event organized by the only friend he ever had brings him reluctantly back to his hated home town - on the condition that she is one of the contestants!

Laura Morgan, dutiful daughter of the town doctor, has never left Beason's Ferry. She lives a sedate, conservative life organizing charity events and occassionally dating the town pharmacist. She never misses the evening news watching Brent with pride, longing and a bit of envy, for she'd love to move to Houston and make her own life, but she's always felt a duty to stay with her father.

And so, when the former Brent Michael Zartlich selects Laura to be his date, they see each other again for the first time in years. There is obvious attraction on both sides, but Brent tries hard not to act on it. Laura's the white-picket-fence, two kids and a dog type and that life is definitely not for Brent. With the childhood he had, he's convinced he'd make a lousy husband and father and has no intention of ever trying. Laura assures him she's not looking for those things, and decides to move to Houston for the summer, get a job and pursue a relationship with Brent. Things go well until they get serious, of course and I think I'll stop there. You'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens!

Brent and Laura are both likeable characters, especially Brent - so smooth and confident on the outside, yet a bundle of insecurities inside, particularaly when dealing with the people from his past. A recommended read!

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes it's just meant to be . . .
Review: A first novel that really delivers! My first book by this author was "Lead Me On", then I read "Falling for You". I'm looking forward to reading "Dear Cupid" to bring me current (and can't wait for "Don't Tempt Me" due early in 2004). Ms Ortolon's obvious love of Texas and her feel for small town life add to the charm of her stories.

Brent Michaels has really made it. Handsome, wealthy Houston news anchor, he's come a long way from the abusive, wrong-side-of-the-tracks, poverty of his broken childhood. No one in the small town of Beason's Ferry ever thought he'd amount to much, so he left and never looked back. But a charity "Dating Game" event organized by the only friend he ever had brings him reluctantly back to his hated home town - on the condition that she is one of the contestants!

Laura Morgan, dutiful daughter of the town doctor, has never left Beason's Ferry. She lives a sedate, conservative life organizing charity events and occassionally dating the town pharmacist. She never misses the evening news watching Brent with pride, longing and a bit of envy, for she'd love to move to Houston and make her own life, but she's always felt a duty to stay with her father.

And so, when the former Brent Michael Zartlich selects Laura to be his date, they see each other again for the first time in years. There is obvious attraction on both sides, but Brent tries hard not to act on it. Laura's the white-picket-fence, two kids and a dog type and that life is definitely not for Brent. With the childhood he had, he's convinced he'd make a lousy husband and father and has no intention of ever trying. Laura assures him she's not looking for those things, and decides to move to Houston for the summer, get a job and pursue a relationship with Brent. Things go well until they get serious, of course and I think I'll stop there. You'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens!

Brent and Laura are both likeable characters, especially Brent - so smooth and confident on the outside, yet a bundle of insecurities inside, particularaly when dealing with the people from his past. A recommended read!

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: A terrific debut book. I laughed and I cried, who can ask for more?? Look forward to this author's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: A terrific debut book. I laughed and I cried, who can ask for more?? Look forward to this author's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Contemporary Romance
Review: As a reader, I always enjoy characters that are so real I swear I'd recognize them if I met them on the street. That is what made Drive Me Wild so much fun to write. Brent and Laura grabbed hold of my imagination from the beginning, and never let go. I laughed and cried right along with them as they drove each other crazy while they fell in love.

About the only thing I felt I had control over was the setting. For that I wantonly drew from my own life. The opera house that serves as the setting for the Dating Game was once owned by my husband's grandfather, and I have shown my own artwork on the courthouse square depicted in Drive Me Wild. Anyone from Columbus, Texas - my husband's hometown - will likely recognize the town of Beason's Ferry as their own, but I couldn't resist tossing in bits of Georgetown and Lampasas to create the town square. As for the Hanging Tree and Whispering Bridge, they actually exist, or used to, along the back country road outside Austin where I learned to drive at age sixteen. I had a blast letting Brent indulge in a street race down the same windy road I used to barrel down in my impulsive youth.

If readers enjoy Brent and Laura's story half as much as I enjoyed writing it, they're in for a fast, fun ride. And a very sexy read!

Please feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail]. I always enjoy hearing from readers.

Rating:
Summary: Fast, fun romance -- Texas style!
Review: As a reader, I always enjoy characters that are so real I swearI'd recognize them if I met them on the street. That is what made Drive Me Wild so much fun to write. Brent and Laura grabbed hold of my imagination from the beginning, and never let go. At times, I almost felt as if I were simply taking dictation. I laughed and cried right along with them as they drove each other crazy while they fell in love.

About the only thing I felt I had control over was the setting. For that I wantonly drew from my own life. The opera house that serves as the setting for the Dating Game was once owned by my husband's grandfather, and I have shown my own artwork on the courthouse square depicted in Drive Me Wild. Anyone from Columbus, Texas - my husband's hometown - will likely recognize the town of Beason's Ferry as their own, but I couldn't resist tossing in bits of Georgetown and Lampasas to create the town square. As for the Hanging Tree and Whispering Bridge, they actually exist, or used to, along the back country road outside Austin where I learned to drive at age sixteen. What fun it was to indulge in a street race down the same windy road I used to barrel down in my impulsive youth.

If readers enjoy Brent and Laura's story half as much as I enjoyed writing it, they're in for a fast, fun ride. Brent and Laura were an absolute delight ... END

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Love Story
Review: Drive Me Wild is the perfect antidote to bad hair days, demanding bosses, snarled traffic and any other daily hassles that can leave you in the dumps. Reading Brent and Laura's story will make you smile and make you feel good again. The characters seemed so real to me -- people I wanted to get to know, and I found myself really pulling for them to get together. The ending is satisfying and realistic. I can't wait for the next book from Julie Ortolon.