Emily Carmichael, Vivian Leiber, and Kathryn Shay, More Lipstick Chronicles

More Lipstick Chronicles

Emily Carmichael, Vivian Leiber, and Kathryn Shay

Berkley, May 2004, $13.00, 352 pp.

ISBN: 0425195945

"Touched for the Very First Time" by Emily Carmichael. Dana's negative attitude is driving the other employees at Georgetown's Allheart.com card company crazy so they decide that for them to have R&R they must intervene and ship the grouch to the Gardens of Oak Creek Conference Center and Resort. There she meets Kieran, a teacher guide at the resort. As they fall in love, will Dana seek long term or will she grumble her way back to DC following her typical one night stand?

"Nothing between Them" by Vivian Leiber. Following her divorce, Carole wonders if it is her or something wrong with the males of the species. However, that changes when she meets Mitch. Their relationship looks like the real thing, but their doubts might torpedo anything permanent in spite of the love flowing between them.

"Taking Care of Business" by Kathryn Shay. Joe is unhappy that Elyssa, CEO of Allheart, is spending time with designer Parker though she insists that this is business. As Joe's jealousy rises, Elyssa is tempted to have an affair with Parker, much more charismatic than her steady beau. Will she realize that Joe is the lasting thing while Parker is a shallow charmer?

These three interactive novellas are cleverly developed so that the characters who appear in all of them remain consistent regardless of who the author is. Each tale is fun to follow though the lead female shares a common trait of annihilating a loving relationship before they finally smell the coffee. Fans will appreciate this modern take on romance and the boardroom.

Harriet Klausner