Rating: 
Summary: Crazy About The Jerk
Review: I was a big fan of Christina Dodd's in the days of Candle in the Window and A Well-Pleasured Lady. But as far as I was concerned, her last good book was That Scandalous Evening, as all the books since have been cheap ripoffs of hit movies (The King and I, Sabrina, etc.). But with her first contemporary, Dodd has reminded me why I loved her so much a decade ago.Zack Givens has never known anything other than wealth and privilege. At 35, he is used to getting what he wants, and to smiting whoever displeases him with his ubiquitous wrath. No one stands up to the powerful billionaire, and accordingly he is as obnoxious and authoritarian as can be. One day, his new answering service rep mistakes him for his butler, and shares her very unflattering opinions of Mr. Givens with him. Since he cannot fire her (a bet he made challenges him to go without firing anyone for a period of time), and since he finds a strange pleasure in not being catered to (for once) Zack comes to look forward to his daily talks with Hope. Hope Prescott is living on the edge of poverty, determined to rise herself up out of penury and find her three siblings, who were suspiciously scattered to the four winds by the town fathers when they were children. For someone who has found precious little good in this world, she still manages to be caring and empathic, and takes genuine interest in her callers' lives. She enjoys in particular her conversations with Griswald, Mr. Givens' butler. She imagines a stuffy, grey-haired old man, who once in a while needs to be reminded to consider other's feelings. Little does she expect, when she stops by with some chicken soup, that the butler will turn out to be a magazine-cover-worthy hunk who looks at her the way a starving man looks at a buffet. The sensuality in this book is riveting, not gratuitous as in so many other books these days but compelling, with so much emotion weaved in that you couldn't help but fall for Zack, even knowing that he can be an autocratic jerk. As I said before, this book reinstated my belief in Christina Dodd. Hope is optimistic (forgive the play on words), but not sickeningly sweet as she could so easily have become. Zack's insufferable haughtiness rings true as a result of his upbringing and past experiences, and I loved his genuine perplexity at being found annoying by so many people.
So why not 5 stars? 1) because of a completely unnecessary kidnap/rescue scene, and 2) there is one pivotal moment in the story where Zack has yet again been an infuriating jackass but, contrary to all the other times, he realizes his mistake almost immediately and admits whole-heartedly that he is in the wrong. This just didn't ring true, not when Dodd had done such a thorough job acquainting us with Zack's point of view and the reasons for it. It was too abrupt an about-face, and felt like the author wanted to hurry up and finish the book instead of taking more time to show a gradual change of Zack's attitude. The unresolved mystery of what happened to Hope's family, as well as her continuing seach for her siblings, is a sure guarantee that there will be future additions to Hope and Zack's story.
Rating: 
Summary: Christina Goes Contemporary!
Review: Dodd's book is fun and engaging! She's done an excellent job with this book! More, more, more!
Rating:
Summary: Solid Entrance into the Contemporary Scene
Review: Of course we knew Christina Dodd could do Historical, but who knew she'd do Contemporary so well in her first try? For seven years Hope Prescott has been separated from her siblings after the mysterious death of her parents. Hope's dream is to make enough money so she can track down her family. Working as an answering service operator may not seem the way to fast cash, but it keeps her head above water while she works on her degree. Zack Givens, both a self made man and from old money accidentally let's Hope believe that she's his butler. He's been badly burned once before and enjoys the sensation of knowing that he is liked for himself and not his money. He's colder than a snow cone at the Zoo and she's as warm and stimulating as an Irish Cream Coffee and they compliment each other beautifully. This is the beginning of a series about the separated siblings, and I hope that the rest are as good as this one is.
Rating:
Summary: Not a contemporary romance fan
Review: I have read all of Christina's historical romances and I never thought her contemporary would be as good. It was wonderful. I stayed up late to finish it. There was some confusion as to how old Zach was with his mother being 59 and his father 81. There's no way Zach's father could have been a father by the time he was Zach's age unless he had other children which were not mentioned. The kidnapping and rescue was a little to ridiculous to believe, but I would definitely love to read more contemporaries by Ms.Dodd.
Rating:
Summary: Christina's Best Yet!
Review: This is definitly Christina's best novel ever!! I absolutly loved her historicals, and I never expected her first contempory novel to be as good as her historicals. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The book begins from the viewpoint of Zack Givens's secretary, who sees Mr. Givens, CEO of a worldwide corporation, as a coldhearted uncaring man. From the beginning, we see Zack's fascination with Hope Prescott, who he only hears as the voice of his answering service. When Hope mistakes Zach for his butler, he doesn't correct her. Zack revels in the fact that Hope seems to like him and wants to be with him not because of his money but because she sincerely likes him. Hope is intrigued by Zack as well, but she is hesitant to let herself feel anything for hm because she feels she must devote herself to her studies so that she can one day make enough money to look for her siblings, who were separated when their parents died. As the novel progresses, it is clear that Zack is not as cold and unfeeling as he seems, and Hope needs love and someone to care for her much more than she'd like to admit. The story is profoundly touching and is one of the best romances I have ever read, historical or otherwise. I could no put it down and finished it in a single day! I would recommend it to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: Hot Sexy Funny -- wow, I loved it!
Review: I picked this up last night and then read all day --kept going into the bathroom to read during my breaks! I've been in a dry spell and this one was funny, really sexy and fast. I loved it! I'm only sorry to find about that this is the only contemp Christina Dodd has written -- but for her, I think I'm even going to try a historical!!
Rating:
Summary: Delicious Read
Review: This book was wonderful. The characters, Zack Givens & Hope Prescott were people I would like to call my friends. This is a case of mistaken identity, and the author asks us to accept some pretty far-fetched stretchs (a preacher's daughter giving herself to a man that she knew by only one name...within a week of meeting him...), but they all work. The secondary characters were wonderfully rich, themselves. You will not be disappointed in this story. As far as I was aware, prior to this novel, Ms. Dodd only wrote historicals. This is a great jump into contemporary! Please, keep them coming!
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed...
Review: The problem with Christina Dodd, is that all her heros are the same. With other romance story I read, most I would fall in love with the hero as well as the heroine. But for Christina Dodd, I have a hard time doing so, because she is too focus on physical needs that she left out the real plot of how the main characters fall in love. Yes..I know this is a romance novel, and it involves many sex scenes that we all enjoy, but it's still all about romance, and I would love to see what love really is. Books from Lisa Klapas or Mary Jo Putney, and many other authors, you can see the love built between the characters, love that are so simple and sweet that you can't help wanting to marry the hero yourself. This is what Christina Dodd lack in most of her books. I do like some of her books though, but lately she been to focus on creating dominating male character and female character who would let them do anything they want, because they are too lustful to stop them. She can't create heroine who is strong will in the beginning then become weak because they are not experience enough to stop the hero from taking want they want. Even though lust is a powerful thing, it is not what love, and she can't replace love. All I see is the pain the hero done to the heroine, then later on the get a lecture from either their family members or their friends about how much of an idiot they are, so they went back and apologize to the heroine...and that's it. If Christina Dodd is reading this...please please please...help me fall in love with the hero and don't make lust as the power to subdue the heroine.
Rating:
Summary: Witty, Wonderful and Sooooo Good!
Review: I am a great fan of Christina Dodd, mainly because she writes books in the historical regency type genre that I adore, BUT - because she writes with such feeling, freshness, and pure genius I decided to give her first contemporary a try. WOW - I am so glad I did!
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE has a sweetheart of a heroine who is caring, honest, earthy and so very `real'. She is Hope Prescott, orphaned daughter of a Texas minister and his wife who was then cruelly ripped away from her siblings - two sisters and a foster brother. It is part of that mystery of what happened way back then that shaped Hope into the person she is today. Hope works for an answering-service company operated by the kind Madam Nainci as she works feverishly to complete her computer-science degree. Growing up poor, has shaped Hope into the compassionate champion of underdogs and also drives her to earn the money to finance a search for her lost siblings.
She meets Boston's wealthy corporate raider business whiz Zach Given when his company employs Madam Nainci's Answering service. Hope mistakes him as his butler Griswald and after she thoroughly commiserates with the man she thinks is a butler over having to work for such an `old fart' of an employer, Zach doesn't correct her assumption as he is intrigued with the `voice'. Zach begins to enjoy the telephone friendship, as does Hope, and when he came down with a cold - Hope brought the poor `old dear' some chicken soup - surprised that the `poor old dear' turns out to be drop dead gorgeous. Zach posing as Griswald - is also taken back as he discovers that the middle aged matron he assumed Hope to be was a young, intelligent and very attractive female he decided then and there to seduce thinking how surprised she'd be when he told her who he really was.
True to her talents, Ms. Dodd's tale of misinterpreted identities is rife with humor and feelings as she introduces a delightful supporting cast of characters from the very real butler, Griswald, to Zach's witty and wonderful Aunt Cecily, eccentric and kind Madam Nainci and all the diverse and zany characters that subscribe to the answering service. The romance is quick and the passion extremely sensual. This is a wonderful romance in spite of being contemporary when it is done by an author whose deft hand at dialog and passion is unsurpassed. Bravo Ms. Dodd - you continue to amaze me with your gifts to engage and entertain your readers! --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---
Rating:
Summary: I loved it.
Review: The only Christina Dodd books I have read, is this one and the next one on the series, Almost like being in love, and if these books are "bad" compared to normal, then she has a fan for life. I thought they were great, ergo, can only get better, right? The two totally different plots did not bother me, I loved both stories and men and plots and supporting characters. I could not put it down and got very upset with any disruptions. Because of these books, I will read much more of her. I loved it. It was hot and fast paced, the beginning was a little slower then the second half of the book. But it was never truly really slow. A good read for a cold night. It woulndt be cold for long.
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