Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Read!!
Review: Since her divorce, Kate Bradshaw's online column "Dear Cupid" hasn't been scoring any points with her readers and the owner of the online magazine that runs her column threatened to cancel her if she didn't put the fun back into her romance advice. Kate needed to take control and regain her carefree spirit she'd lost in recent years. What better way than to find a man to make romance fun again. She didn't want a serious relationship, just someone to flirt with. Looking around, she spied Mike......Mike Cameron believed in love at first sight, but he never found the "right girl" for himself. His job as a movie animator didn't help since he worked about sixteen hours a day. Relaxing, eyes closed, waiting for his flight at L.A. airport, Mike began thinking of marriage. His thoughts were interrupted when a woman spilled her purse at his feet. Upon opening his eyes, Mike found himself face to face with the most enchanting woman he had ever seen. He knew at that moment that she was the "right girl" and he intended to convince her that she would be very happy as Mrs. Mike Cameron. Once again, Ms. Ortolon has delivered a well-written and delightful novel. Her characters are well-developed and there is much interaction among all these characters. The leading lady, Kate Bradshaw, has much on her plate. She is trying to put her life back on track after divorce from workaholic who had no time for his family. Her seven-year old son, Dylan, suffers with asthma and her confidence level is at an all-time low. Mike Cameron is the perfect hero for this story. Not brash or crude, he is caring, considerate and very patient with Kate, allowing her the time she needs to heal, but he is very determined to win her heart. You will just love the way he wins approval from Kate's little boy. Mike is so easy going you can't help but love him! If you want to read a very good story try this one. And then try Julie's previous novel "Drive Me Wild". This author is now on my auto-buy list. Thank you Julie for many hours of reading pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Charming and heart-warming
Review: The characters in Dear Cupid felt like people I'd meet in the neighborhood and like. I really empathized with Kate and rooted for her and Mike to get together. The book made me laugh and I still smile whenever I think about it.A truly heart-warming romance.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute in Places, but Disappointing Overall
Review: The premise is interesting: Kate writes a Dear Cupid column, but her editor warns her that her divorce has left her so bitter that her advice is getting a bit too pessimistic. Kate decides she has to return to her flirty ways-- at least temporarily-- if she wants to keep her job. On a plane trip, she flirts outrageously with a passenger named Mike. He immediately falls for her and decides she's the woman he wants to marry. But Kate is embarassed by what she's done. When Mike tracks her down by hiring her to help him find a wife, she doesn't seem to catch on that he's interested in her. She resists him for a long time, but eventually, they find true love.
Oroton is a good writer and Mike is very likeable. But Mike falls for Kate way too fast. I can see instant attraction or intrigue, but he's decided she's going to be the mother of his children based on a 5 minute sexy exchange about a lipstick color. Plus, it's very hard to buy that Kate doesn't realize Mike is interested in her, and her fear of getting involved seems more trite than understandable, even considering her recent divorce. Yes, all romances are cliched and full of some unbelievable plot twists, but this one seemed too predictable and too ridiculous for me.
There was a lot of potential here, but Susan Donovan, Rachael Gibson, and Jennifer Crusie set a high bar for contemporary romances, a bar that Oroton doesn't reach in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes you warm all over. A cute contemporary romance!
Review: This author makes the "love at first sight" theme work. Who wouldn't want to meet a guy like Mike? Smart, rich, techno savvy, handsome, an all around perfect guy.... but wait, AND he wants to date you with every intention to marry you! When Mike meets Kate, a single mother with a near failing love advice web column, he falls in love with her. Through fate and Mike's doing, Mike employs Kate with the job of changing him into marriage material. However, Kate doesn't know that his prospective bride is herself. Mike lets Kate remodel his home (almost bringing down the ceiling, lol) and purchase his wardrobe. A very good book! Makes us wonder: a girl can always dream....
Rating:
Summary: Makes you warm all over. A cute contemporary romance!
Review: This author makes the "love at first sight" theme work. Who wouldn't want to meet a guy like Mike? Smart, rich, techno savvy, handsome, an all around perfect guy.... but wait, AND he wants to date you with every intention to marry you! When Mike meets Kate, a single mother with a near failing love advice web column, he falls in love with her. Through fate and Mike's doing, Mike employs Kate with the job of changing him into marriage material. However, Kate doesn't know that his prospective bride is herself. Mike lets Kate remodel his home (almost bringing down the ceiling, lol) and purchase his wardrobe. A very good book! Makes us wonder: a girl can always dream....
Rating:
Summary: A so-so read.
Review: This book was mediocre. It started out great but lost momentum. The beginning was funny, but the book fell flat after that.
Rating:
Summary: A so-so read.
Review: This book was mediocre. It started out great but lost momentum. The beginning was funny, but the book fell flat after that.
Rating:
Summary: Page Turner!
Review: While reading the first two-thirds of this book, I agreed with those reviewers who found Jane annoyingly gun-shy about falling in love with Mike. But by the end of the book I realized that the problem was that Jane, Mike and her ex Edward were all so one-dimensional. If Jane was super wary, Mike just the opposite, convinced that he was in love with her and wanted to marry her after talking to her for five minutes. I found both of these extremes annoying and unbelievable. Also, Edward the ex was made to be so mean as to actually be borderline evil. I mean, what kind of human being is so self-absorbed that he isn't aware his son, who has a history of asthma, is suffering a life-threatening asthma attack? And if he was that evil, what the hell was wrong with Jane that she not only picked him in the first place, but had a child with him and stayed with him for five years? I thought the portrayal of Edward was as ridiculously one-dimensional as the other two. Throughout the book, I kept thinking: real people don't act this way.
Rating:
Summary: Characters were too extreme.
Review: While reading the first two-thirds of this book, I agreed with those reviewers who found Jane annoyingly gun-shy about falling in love with Mike. But by the end of the book I realized that the problem was that Jane, Mike and her ex Edward were all so one-dimensional. If Jane was super wary, Mike just the opposite, convinced that he was in love with her and wanted to marry her after talking to her for five minutes. I found both of these extremes annoying and unbelievable. Also, Edward the ex was made to be so mean as to actually be borderline evil. I mean, what kind of human being is so self-absorbed that he isn't aware his son, who has a history of asthma, is suffering a life-threatening asthma attack? And if he was that evil, what the hell was wrong with Jane that she not only picked him in the first place, but had a child with him and stayed with him for five years? I thought the portrayal of Edward was as ridiculously one-dimensional as the other two. Throughout the book, I kept thinking: real people don't act this way.
Rating:
Summary: Cute story of love at first sight - at least for one of them
Review: With this book, I've now read all of Ms Ortolon's books to-date and she is a consistently enjoyable read. Mike Cameron is a computer/sci-fi geek (he reminded me a bit of my brother-in-law!) and works as a computer animations/special effects expert in the movie biz. A handsome, sweet, good natured, often boyish, genuinely nice guy who falls hard when he meets Kate Bradshaw while waiting for a flight. He's just come from his 20th high school reunion and has been re-evaluating his life. While he loves his job (maybe a little too much), he realizes that there is a hole in his life that needs to be filled - with a wife and maybe a kid or two. And just as this realization dawns, a woman drops her purse right at his feet. After helping her collect her belongings, he looks up into her green eyes and his mind turns to mush. Kate writes romance advice column "Dear Cupid" but lately her advice has been cynical and caustic (especially toward men) and if she doesn't get some romance back into her attitude, her column will be canceled. Kate is a divorced, single mom to 7-year-old Dylan with an ex who was (and still is) more interested in his career than his family. No wonder she's bitter! Her editor's threat prompts Kate to see if she still has it in her to flirt shamelessly with a man, and the next thing you know, she's dropping her purse at a very attractive man's feet! After flirting openly with him, she practically runs away, but Mike finds a business card that fell out of her purse that will lead him to Kate. Sensing that she's a bit prickly, instead of asking her out directly, he asks her to turn him into "marriage material" and to help find him a wife. He just doesn't tell her that she's the wife he has in mind! While Mike was completely lovable, Kate unfortunately comes across a bit of a shrew at times. Her "all men are alike" attitude made no sense when anyone could see that Mike was nothing like her ex. And I understood her concern for her son, but her over-protectiveness of asthmatic Dylan often had the effect of humiliating him in front of others. Luckily Mike was more laid back (a nice counter-balance to Kate) and Dylan discovers he has more in common with him than with his own father. But Kate worries about her son becoming too attached to a man who may not stick around for the long haul. Well, if she thinks that, she's doesn't know Mike very well! One thing I didn't get was why a guy who was born and raised in Santa Monica, CA and who works in the movie business would move from LA to Austin, TX! Seemed strange to me. Anyway a very enjoyable read!
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