“Neck And Neck ”

written by Harriet Klausner on 19/07/2009

Neck And Neck
Elizabeth Bevarly
Berkley, Aug 4 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425229033---

Natalie Beckett has had a string of failed business ventures, but keeps on trying like the motto says. This year she is a party planner who's working a Kentucky Derby Eve soiree that will either make or break her business.---

She needs a star attraction who, by showing up, will bring the infield crowd with him or her. She thinks reclusive billionaire video game creator Russell Mulholland, who is in town, would be perfect. However, in order to persuade Mulholland to come to her gala, she needs to get past the hunk, his bodyguard, Finn Guthrie, who is like an offensive line protecting the quarterback from a persistent women he is attracted to; he and Russell trust no one with their secrets not even a woman he could love.---

This is a laugh out loud amusing contemporary romance with a relevant nod to the Derby and an insider look at why almost famous people turn paranoid as stalkers are a cell phone away. The story line is brisk and breezy as Finn sees Natalie initially as a tabloid stalker, then a nuisance and finally something else. Fans will enjoy his metamorphosis as Natalie the nuisance never quits.---

Harriet Klausner