In Between Men

by Mary Castillo

What else could go wrong for 29-year-old ESL teacher and single mom Isa Avellan after she's been voted the un-sexiest woman alive by the entire student body? Well . . . She could be knocked unconscious by a well-kicked soccer ball and wind up saddled with a guardian angel who looks and sounds a lot like Joan Collins. She could have to endure the on-air ravings of her flojo ex-husband as he reveals every intimate, humiliating detail of their sex life to an infamous shock-jock . . . on national radio! Or she could take matters into her own hands and submit to a total makeover, from lipstick to toenail polish to lacy lingerie. And with the help of some well-meaning (if slightly loca ) tías , she could become L.A.'s most ravishing reborn sex goddess, say adios to the past, and see about capturing the attention of a hot new man. But the new Isa is about to find out that it's not so easy juggling motherhood, career, and sex-symbol status. It could, however, turn out to be a whole lot of fun.

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2006

About the author

Mary Castillo's novels have turned romance and mystery readers into dedicated fans. She is the author of The Dori O. Paranormal Mysteries starting with Lost in the Light and Girl in the Mist. Her romantic comedies include Switchcraft, In Between Men and Hot Tamara and novellas featured in the anthologies, Orange County Noir, Names I Call My Sister and Friday Night Chicas.

Reviews

[Mary]

This is the spin-off of Hot Tamara. Hope you like it!

[Melisa Lovely]

This is a great book that really speaks to life, rediscovery of oneself, self love and fun. Sometimes the things that we want aren't the things that we need, and more often than not Love isn't black and white...

[Misty]

Predictable. Kind of slow.

[L V]

Reviewed by: Bela M.
Member of Livin' la vida latina

Review: This book was a little bit better than Ms. Castillo's first novel, Hot Tamara First of all, the whole "working, single mother" routine is a very common scenario among women, and I felt that it was well-portrayed with genuine sincerity. Isa Avellan is one of those single moms, who is struggling to get over a bad divorce and raise a son the best way she could. She has also been recently voted as the unsexiest teacher in school. How humiliating is that? Then comes Alex, her son's soccer coach. And who could not fall for Alex? He shows Isa that, yeah, even moms can be sexy. One of Ms. Castillo's gifts is the ability to draw men realistically--with flaws, fears, and disgruntled emotions that are often hidden behind a sheath of masculinity. I can see these men in real life (not literally, of course, although I wish I could.) However, we still ran into the same writing issues from Hot Tamara--like the bad Spanish and awkward phrasing. Still, they don't detach the reader from the story too much. I'd say this is probably Ms. Castillo's best book.

[Cheryl]

nothing special, boring read

[Jo]

Female needs makeover to get a boyfriend/significant other. And when she does, too many details are included. And she totally has no sense of responsibility. Icky.

[Brooke]

The book was ehhh. I finsihed it since I was at the beach. I didn't care for the characters that much or care what happened. I found the writing to be confusing.

[Isabel]

Fun story, took me back to my roots. Lots of phrases i had not heard in quite a while. Great story teller.

[Angelica Ponce]

What a surprise to feel so connected to Isa.

[Carelyn]

Cute, Latin, contemporary

[Sandra]

Funny. Enjoyable. Fast Read. Could not get into the whole single, sexy mother bid because I'm not a mom.

[Carla]

Not as good as Hot Tamara

[Heather]

wanted a light read in between memoirs and i got it... fun chic lit