LICENSE TO THRILL

Author: Lori Wilde ISBN:0446613665 12/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: WARNER BOOKS
Time Period: Regency

Las Vegas private eye Charlee Champagne can charge into any situation without batting an eyelash. She's absolutely fearless-except for spiders and tall, drop-dead-gorgeous men. So when breathtakingly handsome Mason Gentry strides into her office, demanding to know where his grandfather is, she can't control the goosebumps. It's not like Mason Gentry to be in Sin City with the biggest deal of his investment banking career wrapping up without him. But one moment with Charlee brings out his wild side, and before he knows it, Mason is driving pedal to the metal across the desert with the toughest, sexiest woman he has ever met. And somewhere between half a million dollars, a pair of grandparents in love, and an Elvis impersonator, this unlikely duo will ignite sparks brighter than all the neon in Vegas…and more dangerous than the bullets and goons chasing them.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

LICENSE TO THRILL was really a thrill to read.

Okay, that remark might sound hokey or dumb but in the case of this book, it is decidedly true. My reaction to this story was, hmmm, a pleasant surprise. After reading the back blurb, I was expecting another of those 'wild heroine meets uptight, upright hero and they immediately jump each other bones' stories that seem to abound in romance today.

Not so. LICENSE TO THRILL is an insightful, thoughtful, beautifully crafted story with great pacing, intelligent characters, crisp dialogue and a nifty little mystery. Oh, and it's a whole lot of fun, too.

The characters - in particular the romantic couple - are, in fact, what propelled this story to another level for me. This duo is appealing, smart, dynamic and have great chemistry together. Yes, they are attracted to each other, but do not act on the attraction - immediately anyway. The heroine, Charlee Champagne, is without question one of the best drawn heroines I've read in a while. She's strong, capable but with a core of vulnerability that's totally believable. And the hero, Mason Gentry, is no slouch himself. Both characters are larger than life and together they rock. I felt as if I was sitting chatting with this pair throughout the book.

LICENSE TO THRILL - Ms. Wilde's first single-title - is a real gem. Fast, fun, sexy? Oh yeah...

This story is my first by Lori Wilde and definitely will not be my last. I love her writing style.

Debbie Jett