Rating: 
Summary: Good, well-written contemporary romance
Review: "Dear Cupid" is a charming contemporary romance featuring good writing, well-developed characters, and a decently-developed romance.The heroine, Kate, is a feisty but vulnerable single mother dealing with the after-effect of a tough divorce. While it can be easy for an author to deal in a shallow way with the impact a divorce can have on self-esteem, Ortolon does a really good job of developing Kate and having her deal with her reactions and fears in a realistic and legitimate way. The hero, Michael, is everything you want in a contemporary romance hero. He is caring, patient, and deals well with Kate's charming-but-sometimes-difficult son, Dylan. And he's so very appealing and sweet. Ortolon puts a lot of effort into displaying Kate's fears and in showing Michael's attempts to overcome those fears. Unfortunately, I almost felt as if the issues melted away in a really opportune sort of way. One common weakness in romance novels is that the issues between a couple suddenly disappear, and voila! Everything's golden. The same issue applies to a secondary romance between two of Kate's friends. That said, this is a wonderful, amusing but deep read for any romance reader. In the end, we read romances because we want to celebrate all the joy that can come with a successful romance, and this book gives us all of that.
Rating:
Summary: It's Everything You Hope it will Be
Review: Brimming with optimism and a cheerful outlook on life, this fun love story is just the thing to put you in a brighter mood on even your worst days. You'll be anxious for the hero and heroine to finally "get together", and you'll enjoy every step along the way to its fruition. With such an upbeat style and professional presentation, it's no wonder so many readers flock to the author.
Rating:
Summary: Page Turner!
Review: By the time I was done reading this book, I just knew I had to get all of Julie Ortolon's previous novels and read them too. Ortolon is a very talented writer who has a knack with creating interesting stories that pull the reader in from the first page. Very fun reads.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, witty, fun and sexy!
Review: Dear Cupid is a perfect example of why I read romance! It's intelligent, witty, sexy and fun. But more than that, it has a solid, well written story with an underlying message that doesn't make you feel like you are being preached to.
Mike is the perfect hero - who falls in love with the heroine at first site. Kate, our heroine, has a bit of baggage from a former marriage, however...and it takes her a while to come around to the idea that love can come in an instant. For Kate, "love" has left her disenchanted and it takes her some time to realize she can have love, support AND her career, while still being a wife and mother. It's a true-to-life balancing act that pulls at the conflict all women feel: to be perfect in everything.
There are some very funny parts of this story too - - especially the areas where Ms. Ortolon gives us a glimpse inside the minds of two men who are really trying to be everything for the women they love - -but do not have a clue as to how to please them. The author doesn't solve the "understanding women" puzzle for them, but she does help give them a push in the correct direction, with very funny results.
It's one of those "feel good stories" that will have you returning to it time and again - -anytime you need a pickup; or to bring your life and career into perspective.
Cheers to Ms. Ortolon for creating real-life characters with emotions, anxieties and passions which lurk in all of us.
Rating:
Summary: A humeous conempoary omance
Review: Gwen, owner of the on-line magazine Gwendolyn's Garden, informs Kate Bradshaw that if she fails to change her attitude about males she will cancel the DEAR CUPID column. Kate admits that her once popular advice column has lost many readers ever since she turned acrimonious. Kate concludes that ex-husband's lack of interest in their little boy is the cause. Kate realizes she needs a man to freshen her romantic outlook, but not for any real relationship. While waiting for a flight at LA airport, Kate decides to flirt with the first man that looks nothing like her former husband. She chooses special effects artist Michael Cameron, who returns home following a class reunion in which everyone seemed married. Michael wonders about himself until he meets kissable Kate. He quickly wants her at his side permanently even when a seven year old boy expresses doubts about a male entering his and his mother's lives. DEAR CUPID is a humorous contemporary romance that provides a deep base to support the amusing antics of the dynamic trio. Though quite jocular, rising star Julie Ortolon (see DRIVE ME WILD) focuses on the impact of deadbeat fathers on their children without drowning every male thanks to the caring lead hunk. Michael knows he will need all the magic of a special effects guru to sell little Dylan that he wants him too and to persuade Kate that the second time is the charm for her just like the second time is still the charm for Ms. Ortolon Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Too cute for words! :^)
Review: Heroine: solid, generously endowed young mother Take Kate Bradshaw, one spunky, fiery-haired, cat-eyed Romance columnist. (Think Renee Russo meets Marilyn Monroe.) Give her a messy divorce from an apathetic husband, and threaten to take away her job--the only way for her to provide for her sickly young son. When her confidence is sufficiently shaken, put her in airport full of men she'll never see again and watch this normally self-assured and self-possessed woman test herself to see if she's still got "IT" by using one of the oldest tricks in the book: a very hot variation on the old bump-into-a-gorgeous-guy-and-dump-your-purse-at-his-feet stunt. Now take one haplessly unaware handsome man and put him in Kate's cross-hairs. Special effects wizard Mike Cameron (a Kevin Costner/Judge Reinhold amalgam) is simply minding his own business while waiting for his flight, reflecting upon the state of his long-term bachelorhood and finding it somewhat lacking. For the first time in his life he's giving serious thought to settling down. But how does he go about finding the right woman for himself? It's not as though she'll just fall into his lap, right? What worked for me:
This was a fun couple; I really liked the interaction between Kate and Mike. Kate had no qualms about possessing such a classically feminine shape, and seemed very comfortable with herself. Mike certainly loved the way she looked... Watching Mike pursue Kate was very enjoyable. I know I certainly wouldn't mind having a man like that chase after me!
There was also a very sweet secondary romance which I think might be interesting to explore as a prequel to this book, as well as potential for turning Kate into Cupid a few more times for Mike's three sisters. What didn't work for me:
Kate was understandably skittish about getting into a relationship again, especially since doing so put her young son's heart at risk as much as it did hers. But it still took her an _awfully_ long time to give in to her feelings.
Overall:
I really loved this book! It was fresh and funny with a unique approach. The little "Dear Cupid" letters at the opening of each chapter were wonderful, and the one at the end of the book was the best of all. :^) A great bubble bath book, but be forewarned that you'll spend a lot of time laughing so beware the danger of drowning yourself during a giggle fit.
Rating:
Summary: Too good to put down
Review: I bought this book on Friday and finished it on Saturday.
It is so good. It is a very light and entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Good romance but not her best
Review: I enjoyed Dear Cupid but I didn't feel it had the same punch as her previous novel Drive Me Wild or her later trilogy: Falling for You, Lead Me On and Don't Tempt Me.
The main character Kate seems constricted and rigid, even though we find out later part of her obsessive behavior is brought on by a failed marriage and a young son with a serious case of asthma. She starts out the story by wanting to take charge of her life again and flirt with someone in the airport terminal to show that she can do it. Then when her plan works and her mark, Mike Cameron falls head over heels for her at first sight, she retreats and finds every excuse as to why it could never work for them. But Mike has a plan of his own.
After his mid-life catharsis following his 20 year high school reunion, he realizes that he had just never met the right woman. He is ready to adjust his priorities to have a family life and greater fulfillment.
Normally the man in these novels is never looking for commitment in any way, shape or form and needs the woman to wear him down over time and then come to his own realization that he can't live without that woman. Kate seemed too willing to turn her back on Mike too many times, even though he was a charming character with his brightly colored ties, Hawaiian shirts and a real sense of who he was and what he wanted for himself.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't really care for this one.
Review: I liked Mike. It was so refreshing to find a man who readily admits he loves a woaman and wants to spend the rest of his life with her instead of just wanting to get her into bed. I liked Jim & Linda. They were a great couple and so cute with their mixed signals. Kate was one of those characters that are rare for me. I liked her at the beginning, but as the book progressed she really got on my nerves. OK, she had a failed marriage with a man who was an obvious jerk. But, her marriage was the only relationship she ever had, and they divorced two years earlier! It wasn't as if she had a string of broken relationships behind her! For her to be so paranoid and afraid of getting hurt again was ridiculous. And while she was afraid of being hurt, it didn't stop her from treating Mike badly and hurting HIM! Hard to believe someone so immature was raising a seven-year-old.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't really care for this one.
Review: I liked Mike. It was so refreshing to find a man who readily admits he loves a woaman and wants to spend the rest of his life with her instead of just wanting to get her into bed. I liked Jim & Linda. They were a great couple and so cute with their mixed signals. Kate was one of those characters that are rare for me. I liked her at the beginning, but as the book progressed she really got on my nerves. OK, she had a failed marriage with a man who was an obvious jerk. But, her marriage was the only relationship she ever had, and they divorced two years earlier! It wasn't as if she had a string of broken relationships behind her! For her to be so paranoid and afraid of getting hurt again was ridiculous. And while she was afraid of being hurt, it didn't stop her from treating Mike badly and hurting HIM! Hard to believe someone so immature was raising a seven-year-old.
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