Ladies with Prospects: A Novel

Larksdale Ladies #2

by Cynthia Hartwick

When Larksdale's largest company, PMT Software, is sold to a multimedia giant, the local inhabitants look to become instant millionaires, until it is discovered that the buyer is a fake, PMT's inflated stock becomes worthless, and the town faces ruin, until the Larksdale Ladies return to save the day. By the author of Ladies with Options. Original. 75,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2003

About the author

Cynthia Hartwick grew up in San Diego, California, but lives in Los Angeles. She has a Ph.D. in English and also attended film school. When not writing, she works as a business consultant.

In a 2001 interview with The Romance Reader, the self-admittedly shy author states that she has held jobs at "everything from working in a restaurant, to sorting mail for the post office, to (very briefly) picking fruit." She has also taught college English and helps small business owners and entrepreneurs buy and sell businesses.

She is married to an intellectual property attorney.

Reviews

[Joyce]

Don't know how to delete out of my read books, but this was a book that I just couldn't get interested in. I forced myself to read the first three chapters thinking it would improve as I got into the story. Had to put it down and doubt if I ever pick it up again, put in the yard sale box. This is one of the few times that I decided it just wasn't worth my time to read it.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story, but a crap ton of financial chatter.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow moving book #2 to Ladies with Options.

[Carol Tracewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the word salads, chuckled a few times, hung on every word but the ending was unsatisfying. It was not how I was hoping it would turn out and I'm sad about that.

[Corky]

OK. Nothing great. The main character is a software developer. However the book did not go in to the development very well.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t believe the other reviews! This book is so sweet. I feel like it’s better if you’ve read book 1 though.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ladies With Prospects tells the story of a group of small town women who run an investing group, and how they fight back against a big corporation in an attempt to save an investment - and town - they hold dear.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It's a quick easy read, but still a very satisfying story with well-written dialogue that flows smoothly and easily. All the characters are likable and although we don’t get a great deal of back-story (which is probably just as well seeing as there are so many central characters) we do learn enough abut each of them to feel that we know them. And for those who've read the first book, we do already know quite a bit about some of the older ladies.

I don't want to go into detail about the story because that would ruin the fun, but I did want to highlight this book (and it's predecessor) because they involve some very timely issues in these current economic hard times. Both are filled with examples of people who are struck by economic tragedies, but with a lot of research, dedication and hard work even the 'little guy' can pull themselves out. Whether or not it's a realistic outlook, Ladies With Prospects is a great story and there’s nothing wrong with a little optimism and smart thinking!

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a follow up to Ladies with Options about a ladies group that invests and buys a company in their town which is bought out by a larger company. Everyone thought it was a good plan but turns out it wasn't. So they have to figure out a way to save the company and the town.

The book was enjoyable even though I didn't read the first book. I put it in the chick lit category but it probably doesn't belong there. I liked the interaction between the main characters, there is a little bit of romance to spice it up (but not much)

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good follow up to Ladies with Options. Stands alone, too (you don't need the first book to enjoy the second). Manages to maintain light, humorous, fun tone! I hope a third volume is in the works...

[JudyO · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading through books that have landed on my bookshelf over the years. Don't remember who gave me this one but it is a fun, light read. The narrator's voice is similar to Janet Evanovich's female detective. No mystery, however. I haven't read the first book in this series - might have made me enjoy the lengthy cast of characters more. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the first book, Ladies with Options, and was looking forward to reading this one. However, a little into the book, I noticed a couple of huge mistakes and it turned me off of this one. These were names and time lines that should have been in keeping with the first book, but were completely wrong. I was able to check the first one to be sure; I wonder why the author didn't do the same.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be OK. Some of the chapters were very business "wordy" and I was losing interest. It had a predictable ending. I did find the main character though to be quite humorous at times.

[Kristy Buzbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough, but not nearly as much as the first one and with far less re-read value.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Sequel to Ladies with Options

[Liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chirpy

[Ann McLellan · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun, fast-paced read. I enjoyed the characters, the suspense and the story.