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It's All About Attitude #3
Cruise Control
What good is a second chance if you don't take a risk? That's what limo driver Anna Jackson asks when the seriously hot Marc Lewis climbs in her car. She's changed her looks, her career and now it's time to shed the conservative habits of a lifetime. And seducing Marc is the best way to do that. Sure, he's her client--sort of off-limits--but she's not wrong about the invitation in his eyes.
All she has to do is remember three simple rules--never stay overnight, make no plans for the future and never, ever talk about emotions. Once they hit the sheets, however, the rules aren't so easy to follow. And once they spend the night, can feelings be far behind?>
All she has to do is remember three simple rules--never stay overnight, make no plans for the future and never, ever talk about emotions. Once they hit the sheets, however, the rules aren't so easy to follow. And once they spend the night, can feelings be far behind?>
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
9 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mayberry
159 books1,149 followersSarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When inspiration didn’t strike, she began to wonder if, perhaps, she needed to live some life first before writing about it.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 29, 2012
3 1/2 stars. Anna and Marc only plan on having a no-strings fling, but to their bemusement, find it developing into something more. But after having had breast cancer, Anna is afraid of commiting to an actual relationship.
This was longer than it needed to be, and took a while to get going. I found all the stuff about Anna being too uptight or moral to have a fling kind of pointless, since it's established that she's determined to change her life and go for the gusto. It seemed like a gesture to assuage readers who wouldn't like a heroine who's just out for sex. But the chemistry is terrific -- so much so that I didn't mind it being an insta-lust story -- and I enjoyed the subplot about Anna's gay and closeted brother. Mayberry really fills out the story and makes the characters seem real.
This was longer than it needed to be, and took a while to get going. I found all the stuff about Anna being too uptight or moral to have a fling kind of pointless, since it's established that she's determined to change her life and go for the gusto. It seemed like a gesture to assuage readers who wouldn't like a heroine who's just out for sex. But the chemistry is terrific -- so much so that I didn't mind it being an insta-lust story -- and I enjoyed the subplot about Anna's gay and closeted brother. Mayberry really fills out the story and makes the characters seem real.
April 14, 2011
For some reason, I have the hardest time getting invested in contemporary romances set in Australia.
June 6, 2019
This was kind of a disappointing read. I have liked others by this author but this one was predictable and boring.
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July 19, 2018Anna Jackson, a young breast cancer survivor, has left her law practice to start her own business as a chauffeur. Part of her brand new lifestyle is to take chances and live life to the fullest, and instead of struggling against her attraction to client Marc Lewis, she embarks on a full-fledged, no-strings-attached fling. Marc himself, still fraught from his painful divorce, is not looking for a relationship either. The two, however, find themselves developing an emotional intimacy beyond what they had bargained for--and beyond what they think they want and are ready for.
While the writing didn't feel as tight as her recent works, the story itself and the characters are solid Mayberry: well-developed and understandable. The sex is playful and wonderfully in-character. I enjoyed watching Anna and Marc reveal more and more of themselves AFTER they've already fallen into lust. While the secondary storyline about Anna's brother Danny annoyed me often (though the stock "gay best friend" being the protagonist's brother was an interesting enough twist that lead to relevant complications with their family life), I did like how his romantic subplot reflected on Anna's.
While the writing didn't feel as tight as her recent works, the story itself and the characters are solid Mayberry: well-developed and understandable. The sex is playful and wonderfully in-character. I enjoyed watching Anna and Marc reveal more and more of themselves AFTER they've already fallen into lust. While the secondary storyline about Anna's brother Danny annoyed me often (though the stock "gay best friend" being the protagonist's brother was an interesting enough twist that lead to relevant complications with their family life), I did like how his romantic subplot reflected on Anna's.
October 22, 2009
Anna Jackson had Breast Cancer, just before she went in for her operation to have the cancerous growth removed she decided that life was too short and she was going to have fun. Gone was the lawyer and here was a woman with a list, a list of things that she wanted to do, and wanted to do soon. Cause you know what, you never know what's around the corner.
One of the things she wants to do is have some fun sex with a few people. So she takes some advice from her brother and plans that this is her next mission. The only problem is that Marc Lewis comes into her life. Suddenly he's important to her, and she's not sure that she wants to let him go. He feels some of the same, but he's not sure he's made to be a husband.
The two of them are great, yes there's a fair amount of sex involved but it's the moments, the characters, the way they spark and the way they want to be themselves above all else. I liked how Anna had that darkness of the Cancer behind her but it didn't consume her. I loved how they learned how much they cared.
I'd read more by this author.
One of the things she wants to do is have some fun sex with a few people. So she takes some advice from her brother and plans that this is her next mission. The only problem is that Marc Lewis comes into her life. Suddenly he's important to her, and she's not sure that she wants to let him go. He feels some of the same, but he's not sure he's made to be a husband.
The two of them are great, yes there's a fair amount of sex involved but it's the moments, the characters, the way they spark and the way they want to be themselves above all else. I liked how Anna had that darkness of the Cancer behind her but it didn't consume her. I loved how they learned how much they cared.
I'd read more by this author.
February 8, 2012
So you know how some Blazes are all "here is a guy and a gal, here is their insta-lust, now we have established their insta-lust let's never bother developing their characters again"? Well, in this book, the characters are fab. They grow, they develop; they're genuinely adorable, responsible adults. Mayberry avoids the dreaded purple prose (I know a Harlequin/M&B is good when at no point in the story do I stop and go, there's a word I wouldn't have used), so there's another win. The only weirdness was toward the end of the book, where I feel the heroine's job sort of completely fell off the radar, and it became obvious the copyeditor had Americanised some of the terms, e.g. references to "mom" and "racquetball". My stance on the matter is you should leave the dialect as appropriate for the setting, and since the story was set in Sydney, American readers would just have to find out the meaning of "mum" and "squash" from the context.
tl;dr - this was my first Sarah Mayberry and I'm very excited by how good it was and I can't wait to read more of her stuff.
tl;dr - this was my first Sarah Mayberry and I'm very excited by how good it was and I can't wait to read more of her stuff.
July 20, 2008
From Mills and Boon's raunchy new Blaze series. A lawyer-turned-cancer-survivor-turned-female-chauffeur-with-Annie-Lennox-hair meets a recently-divorced-IT-magnate and they both feel a very strong compulsion to have each other and explode inside each other and so on. Which they very quickly do.
But because of her cancer fears and his divorce and both their issues with their parents, or something, they don't want to get into a relationship. That would be a terrible thing, despite both being single and super-hot for each other.
But they see sense in the end, after she falls off a motorcycle.
"If she truly didn't love him, if there was some root cause that would stop them being together, then he would walk away. But he hadn't achieved the status of millionaire by thirty by giving up on things he wanted".
But because of her cancer fears and his divorce and both their issues with their parents, or something, they don't want to get into a relationship. That would be a terrible thing, despite both being single and super-hot for each other.
But they see sense in the end, after she falls off a motorcycle.
"If she truly didn't love him, if there was some root cause that would stop them being together, then he would walk away. But he hadn't achieved the status of millionaire by thirty by giving up on things he wanted".
October 3, 2011
I love Sarah Mayberry but this one didn't quite grab me.
But it could just be me. I bought 2 rather large lots of Harlequin books on Amazon and am up to my eyeballs with blazing red book covers and have been trying to put a dent in them. Maybe I've reached my Harlequin threshold and need to take a break. The last 3 I tried to read I spent most of my reading time rolling my eyes and groaning at the Velveeta cheesiness that I usually enjoy. I couldn't even stomach them enough to finish them and put them in a donation pile.
We'll see how long my self-imposed hiatus lasts...
But it could just be me. I bought 2 rather large lots of Harlequin books on Amazon and am up to my eyeballs with blazing red book covers and have been trying to put a dent in them. Maybe I've reached my Harlequin threshold and need to take a break. The last 3 I tried to read I spent most of my reading time rolling my eyes and groaning at the Velveeta cheesiness that I usually enjoy. I couldn't even stomach them enough to finish them and put them in a donation pile.
We'll see how long my self-imposed hiatus lasts...
August 28, 2010
Quick fun read.
My review: http://bit.ly/dlrk4b
My review: http://bit.ly/dlrk4b
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November 2, 2017Miniseries: It's All About Attitude
April 5, 2014
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews