Back
cover copy: She's
unleashed her inner vixen…
Hollywood makeup artist Gillian McCormick wouldn't normally be caught dead on a cruise aimed at single geeks. But as the sole witness to a murder, hiding out may be her only chance at staying alive. With P.I. Lex Manchester guarding her, and a voluptuous disguise in place of her plain-Jane wardrobe, Gillian should be safe… if she can resist a titanic attraction to Lex that's making her fantasize about some extra-naughty cruise activities…
He's
rediscovered his inner nerd…
Lex
thought he had left behind his nerdy ways, but his suave demeanor has
no chance against Gillian's bombshell image and the smart, sexy woman
within. And when the scent of seduction wafts through the sea air,
what's a red-blooded male to do?
And
the passion they've found is about to get out of control…
With
a passenger list that includes a mobster on a mission, a
cross-dressing sociopath, and hundreds of lusty nerds, Lex must find
a way to keep Gillian safe--and prove that he's truly her nerd for
all seasons…
Stats
for my copy: Mass market paperback, St. Martin's Press, 2006.
How
acquired: Bought.
First
lines: “Gillian, Darling, it's Cora. Four out of five women
surveyed say that nerds are amazing
in bed. You simply must go on this cruise with me. Kiss, kiss.”
My
thoughts: As I've
now come to expect with this series, the characters and the
situations they find themselves in are a little campy, a little over
the top. Well, actually, not the characters this time around as much
as the situations.
Gillian
does makeup in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. Leaving the studio
late one night, she overhears a ruckus coming from one of the star's
dressing rooms, and just like that she's a witness to a murder with
mob connections. Her elderly friend Cora, a former star who was
friends with Marilyn Monroe back in the day, is headed out on a
singles cruise for nerds the next day, and Cora convinces Gillian to
go along as a way of getting out of the country. And she convinces
Gillian to dye her hair and put on a sexy dress and bam, Gillian is a
Marilyn Monroe lookalike. Because rather than blend in with the
crowds of ill dressed and badly coiffed nerds and be inconspicuous,
Cora says that she needs to stand out and participate in as many
cruise activities as she can, so nobody would ever mistake “Norma
Jean”, her fake cruise name, for Gillian.
Lex
and Dante are childhood friends who have a fledgling private
investigations business. They grew up in Cora's neighborhood and she
considers them the grandsons she never had. So Cora hires them to
come along on the cruise as bodyguards for Gillian. Cora happens to
know the owners of the cruise line, so has no problem making last
minute arrangements. Unfortunately, trouble follows Gillian as it
soon becomes apparent that someone else managed to get on the cruise
as well, and that someone wants Gillian dead.
A
few scenes left me shaking my head with disbelief – Gillian
verbally admiring how well endowed Lex is; a cross-dresser using
fruit in a way nature never intended – but overall it was a fun and
quick paced screwball romp with plenty of the author's signature
humor and heart.
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