Trish Graves - Ginna Gray
Graves, Trish - FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL... (Precious Gems - 7/99) (4+)
Whenever successful advertising executive Sherry Spencer needs a little island of calm in her hectic life, she just knows that chocolate—any kind of chocolate—is a hundred times better than Valium for reducing stress. When she receives a twenty-dollar bill with the words, "For a good time call Kit," scribbled across it, this perky lady has no way of knowing that she'll soon be needing a mountain of Snickers bars to keep her act together! Sherry really, really tries to ignore the intriguing message; however, as the minutes tick by, she becomes increasingly curious about the person whose name is written on the money. Finally she gives in to the urge to call. Imagine her surprise when Kit turns out to have a decidedly masculine voice and he is not amused to be the butt of a very mean-spirited joke.
In reality, Christian "Kit" Fleming is the wealthy, handsome CEO of a very large corporation that is, quite coincidentally, looking for a new ad agency to promote a line of women's toiletries. During a business meeting the day after their inauspicious first encounter, an unsuspecting Sherry snags the plum job for her agency. Mr. Christian "CEO" Fleming is certainly a very appealing-looking fellow, but his austere, increasingly prickly manner convinces Sherry that he really doesn't like her...or any of the ideas she has for his ad campaign. Kit is quite bemused by this course of events because Sherry, with her zest for life and warm, engaging personality, actually scares him half to death. Although he is very attracted to her, she is a definite threat to the emotions he has kept carefully safeguarded for years. Maintaining his distance becomes nearly impossible in the coming days, however, as he struggles against his feelings for her—feelings that are growing by leaps and bounds.
Over the course of the story, Sherry is sorely tempted to have a superficial physical relationship with Kit, but she manages to remain true to herself and her ideals, which only confuses him more. In the end, however, the emotionally needy Kit finds out, in an oh-so satisfying way, that life can be quite wonderful when you are able to give yourself over to the vulnerability of being in love—even if it's the result of a risque innuendo on the back of a twenty-dollar bill.
FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL... is a sparkling, "feel good" book that has more than its share of delightful, chuckle-inducing moments, and just enough emotional angst to make it a truly appealing read. Trish Graves (a.k.a. Trish Jensen) spins a tale that is chock full of witty dialogue and sympathetic, fully developed characters. If you like a story that blends liberal doses of laughter with a few smiling tears, give this wonderful romance a try. It is short, but very sweet, and I highly recommend it. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Graves, Trish - SEND ME NO FLOWERS (Precious Gems - 9/99) (4+)
It's been years since Jenny Creighton lived in the small South Carolina town of Daredevil, but despite some very painful memories, she decides to move back home to take advantage of an unexpected but welcome inheritance. No one has recognized the "new and improved" Jenny yet, and she remembers her miserable grade school days when she was known as "Jumbo" Jenny of the loony Farnsworth family. Most of the good memories she associates with that time revolve around Rob Townsend and his occasional, heroic attempts to rescue her when the taunting and teasing of classmates had become too much to bear. Although she is now svelte and lovely, Jenny finds herself woefully lacking in self-confidence when faced with the reminders of her past, and she isn't sure anyone in town would welcome her with open arms if the truth was ever known.
During the years she was away, Rob—now fondly known as Sheriff Townsend—grew up to be quite the hunk. He doesn't think he "knows" Jenny, but for some reason the compulsion to come to her rescue is still strong. Now he is showing his concern for her fledgling flower shop by ordering bouquets with appalling regularity. It seems he has quite a reputation to maintain, and the pricey posies are good-bye gifts for the women he's continually loving then leaving. But as pretty as her flower arrangements are, the single ladies of Daredevil run the other way when they see Jenny coming down the street because her deliveries invariably mean an end to what they'd hoped would be a beautiful relationship with the sheriff. When Jenny begins to see a definite pattern, she has a sinking feeling this is no way to run a business; and besides, how did such a nice, kind boy turn into a such a womanizer anyway? As she searches for answers, Jenny ends up performing a rescue of her own, and in the best possible way, she finds out that sometimes you really can come home again.
Definitely add SEND ME NO FLOWERS to this author's growing list of highly enjoyable and entertaining love stories. Even though you won't find the laugh-out-loud scenes that were a real highlight in her previous books, she has taken a new direction down a more emotional and thought-provoking path. With much insight, Trish Graves captures both the good and bad side of small town America, and the result is a sweet yet compelling read. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Gray, Ginna - FOR THE LOVE OF GRACE (1995) (5)
Jake came back to town to clear his name. Everyone believed he had killed a woman twelve years before. Grace had always believed he was innocent, but when she rented him her garage apartment, the townspeople were not happy about it. Unknown to Grace, Jake had always admired and loved her. ~Marilyn H. (mlyn@jps.net)
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