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Kentucky Derby #3
Neck & Neck
Hoping to advance her party planning business by securing the attendance of a billionaire video-game creator at her Kentucky Derby soiree, Natalie Beckett encounters trouble in the wealthy man's gorgeous bodyguard, Russell, who rapidly becomes the focus of her attentions. Original.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 7, 2009
134 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Bevarly
378 books156 followersElizabeth Bevarly was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and earned her BA with honors in English from the University of Louisville in 1983. Although she can’t recall ever wanting to be anything but a novelist-oh, all right, she toyed briefly with becoming an archaeologist, until she realized how awful she looked in khaki and flannel, and there was a brief fling with the interior decorator thing, until she realized she had trouble distinguishing chintz from moiré, and… (Where was I? Oh, yeah. My brilliant career.) Anyway, her career side trips before making the leap to writing included stints working as a bartender, a waitress, a movie theater cashier, a soap-hawker for Crabtree & Evelyn, an apparel-hawker for The Limited, and a bridal registry consultant for a major department store. She also did time as an editorial assistant for a medical journal, where she learned the correct spellings and meanings of a variety of words (like microscopy and histological) which, with any luck at all, she will never use again in this life.
She wrote her first novel when she was twelve years old. It was 32 pages long-and that was with college rule notebook paper-and featured three girls named Liz, Marianne and Cheryl, who explored the mysteries of a haunted house. Her friends Marianne and Cheryl proclaimed it “Brilliant! Spellbinding! Kept me up past dinnertime reading!” Those rave reviews only kindled the fire inside her to write more.
Since sixth grade, Elizabeth has gone on to complete more than 60 works of contemporary romance. Her novels regularly appear on the USA Today and Waldenbooks bestseller lists, and The Thing About Men was a New York Times Extended List bestseller. She’s been nominated for the prestigious RITA Award, has won the coveted National Readers’ Choice Award, and Romantic Times magazine has seen fit to honor her with two-count ‘em TWO-Career Achievement Awards. Her books have been translated into two dozen languages and published in three dozen countries, and there are more than ten million copies in print worldwide. She has claimed as residences Washington, DC, northern Virginia, southern New Jersey and Puerto Rico, but she now resides back in her native Kentucky with her husband and son and two very troubled cats where she fully intends to remain.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 24, 2017
Bir seriye sondan başlama vakası daha.Pek beklediğim gibi çıkmadı kitap.Ufak ve şaşırtıcı süprizler olsa da ortalama bir kitaptı.
October 8, 2011
Originally posted on Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/revie...
Professional party planner Natalie Beckett has one shot to make a go of her fledgling business and to do so she has to make society dame Clementine Hotchkiss’s Kentucky Derby Eve Fundraiser Gala a phenomenal success. But in order to make Clementine’s party the talk of the town, Natalie needs to convince reclusive billionaire Russell Mulholland to attend. There’s just one problem: a big, brawny, devastatingly handsome roadblock in her way – Russell’s head of security, Finn Guthrie.
Finn has learned since childhood to trust no one, especially not some party planner set on stalking his best friend. Sure, Natalie is temptingly gorgeous, but Finn isn’t about to let that distract him from his job of protecting Russell and his son Max. But Finn’s determination to ignore Natalie is about to be put to the test because Natalie will not be ignored.
Sparks fly in this enchanting read by Elizabeth Bevarly. Neck & Neck is fresh and fun with not one, but two romances that are sure to captivate. The first is Finn and Natalie’s love story. Their romance is a delightful case of opposites attract. It was entertaining watching the intractable Finn fall for Natalie when he was absolutely against the idea.
The subplot of Neck & Neck, however, captured my attention even more than the main romance. From the very beginning of the tale, Ms. Bevarly broke my heart with Russell, a widower with a teenage son who has been in a downward spiral since his wife’s death. I so wanted to see Russell find happiness and was so happy to see him fall in love with Ginny Collins, a single parent herself. Unlike Finn and Natalie who are truly different from one another, Russell and Ginny are a couple whom she perceives as opposites but are, in fact, more similar than Ginny realizes. Ginny and Russell’s romance grabbed my heart and didn’t let go, adding a great depth of emotion to Neck & Neck.
Alternately humorous and heartwarming, Neck & Neck was a wonderful, gripping read from beginning to end. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Bevarly and it definitely won’t be the last!
Professional party planner Natalie Beckett has one shot to make a go of her fledgling business and to do so she has to make society dame Clementine Hotchkiss’s Kentucky Derby Eve Fundraiser Gala a phenomenal success. But in order to make Clementine’s party the talk of the town, Natalie needs to convince reclusive billionaire Russell Mulholland to attend. There’s just one problem: a big, brawny, devastatingly handsome roadblock in her way – Russell’s head of security, Finn Guthrie.
Finn has learned since childhood to trust no one, especially not some party planner set on stalking his best friend. Sure, Natalie is temptingly gorgeous, but Finn isn’t about to let that distract him from his job of protecting Russell and his son Max. But Finn’s determination to ignore Natalie is about to be put to the test because Natalie will not be ignored.
Sparks fly in this enchanting read by Elizabeth Bevarly. Neck & Neck is fresh and fun with not one, but two romances that are sure to captivate. The first is Finn and Natalie’s love story. Their romance is a delightful case of opposites attract. It was entertaining watching the intractable Finn fall for Natalie when he was absolutely against the idea.
The subplot of Neck & Neck, however, captured my attention even more than the main romance. From the very beginning of the tale, Ms. Bevarly broke my heart with Russell, a widower with a teenage son who has been in a downward spiral since his wife’s death. I so wanted to see Russell find happiness and was so happy to see him fall in love with Ginny Collins, a single parent herself. Unlike Finn and Natalie who are truly different from one another, Russell and Ginny are a couple whom she perceives as opposites but are, in fact, more similar than Ginny realizes. Ginny and Russell’s romance grabbed my heart and didn’t let go, adding a great depth of emotion to Neck & Neck.
Alternately humorous and heartwarming, Neck & Neck was a wonderful, gripping read from beginning to end. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Bevarly and it definitely won’t be the last!
February 12, 2014
Elizabeth Bevarly has created a very witty, likeable character with Natalie Beckett. Her writing style is different from your standard books and works very well. Natalie's speed talking to get the upper hand or divert the conversation to something else is priceless. The story gives a human factor to the upper-class and then some are, well, just snotty upper-class. The two romances that brew throughout the book are very different and entertaining. A very good read which keeps you smiling.
April 7, 2016
I always have a smile on my face when I read an Elizabeth Bevarly romance. She has incredible skill with balancing two romances in one story. The main one is more on the steamy side, while the secondary romance is sweeter and has more awwws. So is the case of Neck & Neck (Kentucky Derby #3). I actually preferred the secondary story over the main one here, but the two couples kept me interested, especially the heroine and the secondary heroine, both hard working independent women readers can admire.
Natalie was brought up in the lack of luxury, and could have become a high society wife, but she wants more to her life. She's worked hard to achieve her success. She now plans parties, but is having a hard time getting noticed. She thinks she can hit it big by throwing one of the best Kentucky Derby soirees in the state. But in order to do so, she needs some big names and celebrities. One such "big name" is video game creator millionaire Max, who's visiting for the Derby. If she can get him to come to the party, she's set. But Max isn't big on the social scene or partying. Natalie feels she can get him to accept her invitation to her party. But first she has to get past his bodyguard and childhood friend, Finn.
Finn and Max go way back. He's very loyal to Max, including Max's teenage son, especially since Max's beloved wife died. Finn is onto Natalie right from the start. He blocks all her attempts at convincing Max to come to her Derby party. These two may appear to be adversaries, but then their attraction flares for one another and lines are crossed. Now Finn is backed into a corner because he really likes Natalie, and not just because she'd great in bed.
Max is dedicated to his work and his son, but he misses his deceased wife. He's had a some relationships, but they don't last. One night while he's at a gentleman's club, one of the servers catches his eye. Her name is Amber, and he wants to get to know her outside of the club, which means going back to his hotel suite for some naked fun. But Amber blocks his moves and ignores his flirting. She's not the typical type of woman who ends up hanging all over him because he's rich. She's a single mother trying to make ends meet. But when Max keeps coming back to the club and puts on the charm, she decides do give him a chance, because it's just dinner. But like Finn and Natalie, Amber and Max's new relationship becomes one mega complication.
Neck & Neck is more on the lighter side of romance. The story is very fluffy and full of funny moments. There's also some zaniness, mainly with Finn and Natalie, who fall into bed too fast, especially because of Finn and his suspicions with Natalie. Max and Amber are more believable, but their romance has a fairy tale element to it I really did enjoy.
As like most Bevarly endings, everyone gets their HEA, which is very pat and precious. An overall fell good romance that will leave you smiling.
Natalie was brought up in the lack of luxury, and could have become a high society wife, but she wants more to her life. She's worked hard to achieve her success. She now plans parties, but is having a hard time getting noticed. She thinks she can hit it big by throwing one of the best Kentucky Derby soirees in the state. But in order to do so, she needs some big names and celebrities. One such "big name" is video game creator millionaire Max, who's visiting for the Derby. If she can get him to come to the party, she's set. But Max isn't big on the social scene or partying. Natalie feels she can get him to accept her invitation to her party. But first she has to get past his bodyguard and childhood friend, Finn.
Finn and Max go way back. He's very loyal to Max, including Max's teenage son, especially since Max's beloved wife died. Finn is onto Natalie right from the start. He blocks all her attempts at convincing Max to come to her Derby party. These two may appear to be adversaries, but then their attraction flares for one another and lines are crossed. Now Finn is backed into a corner because he really likes Natalie, and not just because she'd great in bed.
Max is dedicated to his work and his son, but he misses his deceased wife. He's had a some relationships, but they don't last. One night while he's at a gentleman's club, one of the servers catches his eye. Her name is Amber, and he wants to get to know her outside of the club, which means going back to his hotel suite for some naked fun. But Amber blocks his moves and ignores his flirting. She's not the typical type of woman who ends up hanging all over him because he's rich. She's a single mother trying to make ends meet. But when Max keeps coming back to the club and puts on the charm, she decides do give him a chance, because it's just dinner. But like Finn and Natalie, Amber and Max's new relationship becomes one mega complication.
Neck & Neck is more on the lighter side of romance. The story is very fluffy and full of funny moments. There's also some zaniness, mainly with Finn and Natalie, who fall into bed too fast, especially because of Finn and his suspicions with Natalie. Max and Amber are more believable, but their romance has a fairy tale element to it I really did enjoy.
As like most Bevarly endings, everyone gets their HEA, which is very pat and precious. An overall fell good romance that will leave you smiling.
September 7, 2009
Natalie Beckett is a professional party planner in a bit of a crisis. She's putting a Kentucky Derby party together for a big socialite to benefit unprivileged kids and it will either make or break her brand-new party planning career. Thing is, the guest list leaves something to be desired. In the sense that there's barely anyone of interest on it and that's what she needs desperately. She has to make this party the best one of the several Derby parties, not just so both her and the client don't end up looking like losers but also because Clementine Hotchkiss, the client, would be able to give a nice, big fat check to Kids, Inc, the benefit.
Natalie's willing to do anything, including stalking - I mean scoping! - the reclusive video game creator, Russell Mullholland, to attend the party. However, Russell's pretty much a hermit and he never goes to any of these parties (or any place, really, except maybe strip clubs) so she's in for a challenge. But before she can try to persuade him to go to the party Natalie has to go through Finn Guthrie, Russell's main bodyguard, who just happens to be totally gorgeous. Will she be able to convinced Russell to go? That is, if she manages to get through Finn first.
Neck & Neck is a seriously laugh-out-loud funny contemporary romance. That was one of the major things that I liked about it: the humor. The secondary characters, Russell and Amber/Ginny totally stole the story for me. They seemed so genuine and I was more interested in their part of the book than the actual main characters. Natalie and Finn's chemistry was great to read but I didn't feel the same attachment to them as I did to Russell and Amber/Ginny, I couldn't relate to them. At times, I just zoned out, some of the descriptions seemed really drawn out and it bored me. However, the great humor, along with down-to-earth secondary characters was what the made this story an enjoyable read.
Natalie's willing to do anything, including stalking - I mean scoping! - the reclusive video game creator, Russell Mullholland, to attend the party. However, Russell's pretty much a hermit and he never goes to any of these parties (or any place, really, except maybe strip clubs) so she's in for a challenge. But before she can try to persuade him to go to the party Natalie has to go through Finn Guthrie, Russell's main bodyguard, who just happens to be totally gorgeous. Will she be able to convinced Russell to go? That is, if she manages to get through Finn first.
Neck & Neck is a seriously laugh-out-loud funny contemporary romance. That was one of the major things that I liked about it: the humor. The secondary characters, Russell and Amber/Ginny totally stole the story for me. They seemed so genuine and I was more interested in their part of the book than the actual main characters. Natalie and Finn's chemistry was great to read but I didn't feel the same attachment to them as I did to Russell and Amber/Ginny, I couldn't relate to them. At times, I just zoned out, some of the descriptions seemed really drawn out and it bored me. However, the great humor, along with down-to-earth secondary characters was what the made this story an enjoyable read.
July 9, 2014
This book features 2 romances with 2 likeable couples and I was rooting for both couples to find their happily ever after. It is a nice light romance good for a summer read. Although it is #3 in the "Kentucky Derby" series, the Derby doesn't really come into play except as a distant backdrop. It read as a complete standalone, which was fortuitous since I haven't read the earlier books.
All of the characters have long conversations in their heads that is tedious. I found myself skimming over these. Also, the word "arrowed" was used entirely too many times to describe frowning. If I noticed it, it is definitely waaay overused.
All of the characters have long conversations in their heads that is tedious. I found myself skimming over these. Also, the word "arrowed" was used entirely too many times to describe frowning. If I noticed it, it is definitely waaay overused.
June 16, 2011
Wow. Usually I like Bevarly's books a lot better than this. I really wish that she had flip-flopped the two stories. The tale of reclusive billionaire Russell Mullholland falling in love with a strip-club waitress (it's okay, she's really a working mom with a heart of gold) would have been so much more interesting if it had been better developed. I just didn't care about the "main" characters, party planner Natalie Beckett and bodyguard Finn Guthrie. I did finish the book, but just couldn't wait to get through it.
December 9, 2010
While I wasn't that interested in the plot about the party planner who has to pull off a charity event the night before the Derby, the character was likeable and her observations about people were amusing. The dialogue was humorous and the sub plot romance was at least as compelling as the main couple, if not more so. While the romances wrapped up all-too suddenly at the end, Ms. Bevarly's wit and keen eye about people's weaknesses made this well written book worth the time.
April 26, 2011
This was a cute romance about Natalie, an event planner, who is on her zillionth career, as she fails at everything. She's determined to make this one work, though, so really works hard to make the Derby party she's in charge of the place to be. How? She goes after the elusive Russell Mullholland. Instead, she finds she can't keep away from his head of security, who really doesn't want her to have any contact with Mullholland at all. Can she get what she wants and still get what she needs?
September 3, 2011
I on occasion like to try a new book, series or writer I haven't experienced yet. Although I had read E. B.'s first book in this series and did not like it, I had gotten this book in the book swap here and decided to read it. Terrible decision. I hated this book. Bored me out of my mind.
August 28, 2012
It was lovely. I had been hoping for a bigger ending - it felt a little rushed to the big tie-everything-up-into-a-bow moment. I liked these characters so much that I felt they deserved a more romantic - dramatic ending. Otherwise though the book was a joy.
January 27, 2016
contemporary romance
January 26, 2011
Really liked it.
September 29, 2011
Nicely done
July 26, 2014
Getting a little romance in my life.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews