Beyond Breathless

The Red Choo Diaries #1

by Kathleen O'Reilly

Nicknamed "The Porcupine," Jamie McNamara has a tough-as-nails attitude that makes her a force to be reckoned with on Wall Street. So it's a shock even to her when she seduces a sexy investment broker in a Hummer limo on the way to a business meeting. But when her erotic escapade becomes the topic of the "Red Choo Diaries" sex blog and threatens to destroy her steely persona, Jamie realizes a fling isn't always frivolous.

Used to getting what he wants, gorgeous man-about-town Andrew Brooks knows a good thing when he sees it—and he sees and wants Jamie. Her drive and passion have him consumed. He's determined to transform their passionate limo encounter into a long-term merger—and he's prepared to negotiate!

Genres: Harlequin Blaze, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary, Fiction, Ebooks

244 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Kathleen O'Reilly wrote her first romance at the age of eleven, which to her undying embarrassment was read aloud to her class. After taking over twenty years to recover from the profound distress, she is now proud to announce her new career - a romance author. Kathleen lives in New York with her husband and their two children who outwit her daily.

Reviews

[Megan]

Sex in a hummer limousine, oh my. The relationship between Jamie and Andrew worked for me. These two serious and driven Wall Street professionals are a case of "like attracts like," which was fun to read in this case, but it presented a unique dilemma for Jamie. She was forging a top-notch career for herself, but her fling with Andrew turned into something more demanding (spoiler: loooooove), and it made her uncomfortably aware of her professional insecurities. She couldn't compete with whiz kid Andrew, and the similarities and comparisons between them only seemed to reveal her inadequacies to herself. This was something I could sympathize with, and the solution (understanding that this is not a competition) was pat but, really, what else could it be?

While Andrew was too rich and influential to be quite believable (I like more down to earth protagonists), I did like his relationship with his family. This might be my favorite aspect of O'Reilly's writing: I love how she writes families, especially the relationship between brothers. As always, O'Reilly's dialogue shined, and I enjoyed the time I spent reading this book.

[Germbee15 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent storyline, likeable main character, spicy but not obscene. The best thing about this book IMO are all the funny one-liners. She is an entertaining writer. Romance is not my genre of choice, but I enjoyed this one.

[Sumi38 · Rating 1 out of 5]

2.6€ is too expensive for this book

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicknamed "The Porcupine," Jamie McNamara has a tough-as-nails attitude that makes her a force to be reckoned with on Wall Street. So it's a shock even to her when she seduces a sexy investment broker in a Hummer limo on the way to a business meeting. But when her erotic escapade becomes the topic of the "Red Choo Diaries" sex blog and threatens to destroy her steely persona, Jamie realizes a fling isn't always frivolous.

Used to getting what he wants, gorgeous man-about-town Andrew Brooks knows a good thing when he sees it--and he sees and wants Jamie. Her drive and passion have him consumed. He's determined to transform their passionate limo encounter into a long-term merger--and he's prepared to negotiate!

5 stars! Masterpiece! Effectively written. Great story line.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun. How do you rank fun? The kind of fun written well enough to try in any form she (Kathleen O'Reilly) brings it. Her stories are unabashedly sexually explicit (in the fun way, not dark or kinky).
There are many books that fit that description here that I have read. Kathleen O'Reilly is among those who do it best, that is, write a contemporary, somewhat erotic, romance, that is careful enough with its dialogue, descriptions and plot lines to tell a brief, engaging fun story.

[Tressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the Andrew and Jamie; they both seemed to be a very good fit for each other. I especially liked how they were physically and mentally attracted to each other. That seemed like a good basis for a solid and long-lasting relationship. Andrew and Jamie’s concerns and flaws were understandable. I really enjoyed the story and the author’s writing style.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A believably high-powered career woman heroine. A smouldering though slightly high-handed hero. A real love story that doesn't seem out of place emerging from a blazing romp. And really good set up for the rest of the series!

[Liz B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Definitely engaging and well-written, but with lots of editing errors. O'Reilly does a very good job of setting up plausible, internal obstacles to the HEA. Category romances still aren't my favorite, but it is nice to occasionally read a book I can finish really quickly.

[Lyndi W.]

I made it to Chapter 8. I'll try again later, but I just couldn't stick with it. I kept finding other things to do instead of reading, but I didn't dislike anything about the story. So I'm shelving it to read later.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two words: Hummer Honey!

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wall Street hedge funds and stilletos. Nice.

[RedBecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and funny, loved Jamie and Andrew's chemistry and dynamic.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun category romance , with two very smart Wall Street whiz protagonists. Loved their finance world banter, and the limo seduction scene was off the charts sexy!

[Roos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly these people were exactly as boring as they were described.