Rating: 
Summary: Stunning Debut!
Review: It's been fourteen years, seven months and ten days since Brent Michael Zartlich kissed Laura Beth Morgan and left his hometown of Beason's Ferry. They had been childhood friends-- his only friend since they were both considered the "town misfits". She, the town doctor's awkward, skinny, coke-bottle glasses kid and he, the boy who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Now Brent Michaels is the drop-dead gorgeous anchor at a Houston TV station and Laura Beth has phoned him requesting help with the town's annual fund-raiser, which this year includes a Dating Game reenactment. She wants him to play the "celebrity bachelor" for the game. After a little coaxing, Brent realizes he cannot refuse his old friend. Little does he realize he is in for the surprise of his life! The tomboy he remembers has blossomed into a beautiful woman. Occasionally an exceptional book will come along. This is that book! If you read only a few romance books each year, I recommend you place this high on your "to read" list. You won't be disappointed. This book is extremely well written and emotionally satisfying. The characters are well developed and the story is fun and at times sad and very, very sexy. It is always a treat to discover a new author who writes so well. I look forward to many good reads from her in the future. Kudos Julie on a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful characters!
Review: Julie Ortolon can paint complete scenes and invent real people with mere words. Alive with humor and the kind of visual detail that makes a story enthralling, Drive Me Wild, will keep you turning the pages so fast you won't want to put it down. I have never read such an original romance. Loved both hero and heroine. I want more books from this author!
Rating:
Summary: What a Wonderful Debut!
Review: Julie Ortolon has written a warm, witty, fun, make-you-feel-good, leave-you-smiling story. Brent, the home-town "bad boy" who's made good is a wonderful hero who meets his match in Laura Beth, the home-town "good girl" who is discovering she has some "bad" in her! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about these two great characters and seeing them discover true love. Run, don't walk, to read this delightful book by a terrific new author!
Rating:
Summary: What a Wonderful Debut!
Review: Julie Ortolon has written a warm, witty, fun, make-you-feel-good, leave-you-smiling story. Brent, the home-town "bad boy" who's made good is a wonderful hero who meets his match in Laura Beth, the home-town "good girl" who is discovering she has some "bad" in her! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about these two great characters and seeing them discover true love. Run, don't walk, to read this delightful book by a terrific new author!
Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Fun Humor
Review: Julie Ortolon's book is a must buy. That Dating Game scene, where Brent and Laura meet again after years apart, is just glimmering with humor. As I read the book, I found myself rooting for the hero and heroine as their relationship emerged and flourished, while laughing out loud at Julie's wonderfully wicked humor. But let's not forget those wonderful dark moments either, such as when the Brent is forced to admit to his intense desire for committment to the Laura. And Laura carries her share of guilt when she's forced to admit, especially to herself, that she pushed Brent just a bit too far when it comes to that dreamy-eyed committment she desires. And the conflict between the heroine and her father is terrific. I enjoyed seeing her break the paternal reins to become her own person, rather than just her father's daughter. Overall, this is a heck of a book, and definitely a must read.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful, Down-home romance!
Review: Julie Ortolon's debut novel, "Drive Me Wild," is a delightful, down-home Texas romance that will having you rooting for the fascinating couple, Laura Beth and Brent, to put aside their picky little differences and just live happily ever after. I enjoyed Ortolon's setting of Columbus, Texas, wishing I could attend the Bluebonnet Tours myself. Her characters are inviting and exciting, leaving the reader to compare them to people they probably actually know. I particularly enjoyed the budding romance between secondary characters, Melody and Greg, and would love to see them have a book of their own! (hint, hint, Ms. Ortolon!) I was also fascinated with the way Ortolon handled the father-daughter conflict and was well satisfied with that resolution. Fans of contemporary romance will find they have a new favorite author to look for in Julie Ortolon.
Rating: 
Summary: Good debut novel
Review: Over Fourteen years ago, Brent Zartlich fled his hometown of Beason's Ferry, Texas where he was considered unacceptable trash. Over the subsequent years, Brent became a successful TV news anchor, and is now currently working in Houston. Only a request from his old school friend Laura Beth Morgan could ever get him to return home.Brent agrees to participate in the dating game fund-raiser at the town's annual Bluebonnet Homes Tour. His only stipulation is that Laura Beth be one of the three female candidates. At the event, Brent easily identifies Laura Beth as the wholesome contestant among the three women "dying" for a date with him. He selects her, but is shocked when a beautiful woman comes from behind the barrier separating them. She looks nothing like the squirt that was like a little sister to him. As Laura Beth and Brent get to know each other as adults, he falls in love with her, an emotion she always felt for him. However, she symbolizes picket fence living, which does not fit into his career plans. DRIVE ME WILD is a warm contemporary romance that sub-genre fans will enjoy. The lead couple is a wonderful duo, especially Brent with his struggle between needing love and wanting to succeed in his chosen profession. The support cast provides a glimpse into life in a small Texas town. The romance between two secondary characters, who happen to be delightful opposites, makes for a more complete tale as readers will fully enjoy Julie Ortolon's ability to blend that sub-plot into the wonderful prime story line. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Superb read! You'll love it!
Review: Rarely do I read a book that I would pick up and read for a second time. This novel is one of the few that I have done that with. It is a mix between a "ugly duckling" and "cinderella" story. Girl is quiet and reserved, boy is wild,girls are warned to stay away from him. Boy takes his bad reputation and leaves to make a new life in another city. Ten years later she calls him back to town to participate in a dating game as the celebrity guest. He says he'll only come if she's one of the 3 female contestants he has to choose from. She begrudgingly agrees, and bam! He sees her as a grown "fully matured" woman for first time in ten years. This book gives a lot of sexual tension, which I find necesary for the characters to mesh, and keeps your attention all the way thru the story. Read it, Im sure you'll agree.
Rating:
Summary: Superb read! You'll love it!
Review: Rarely do I read a book that I would pick up and read for a second time. This novel is one of the few that I have done that with. It is a mix between a "ugly duckling" and "cinderella" story. Girl is quiet and reserved, boy is wild,girls are warned to stay away from him. Boy takes his bad reputation and leaves to make a new life in another city. Ten years later she calls him back to town to participate in a dating game as the celebrity guest. He says he'll only come if she's one of the 3 female contestants he has to choose from. She begrudgingly agrees, and bam! He sees her as a grown "fully matured" woman for first time in ten years. This book gives a lot of sexual tension, which I find necesary for the characters to mesh, and keeps your attention all the way thru the story. Read it, Im sure you'll agree.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced and fun
Review: This is not your classic good girl, bad boy story. It's way, way better than that. Laura and Brent went to high school together, but haven't seen each other in years. Now, she wants to break away from being the town's good girl and start a new life, while Brent has already changed into a big name TV personality. When they meet again, sparks fly and you're in for a Wild Ride as the fire between them erupts into a blazing inferno.
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