|
Sizzle
Jennifer Crusie
March 1994, Series Romance
Harl Stolen Moments, $1.99, 92 pages, Amazon ASIN 0373832710
| Grade: |
B- |
| Sensuality: |
Hot |
Sizzle is a slim 92-page novella from Harlequin's short-lived Stolen Moments series. Only 18 books were published in this series, but this is the only one I've ever seen. It's mainly remembered and sought after because it is one of Jennifer Crusie's first appearances in print (although two of her series titles were released prior to the release of Sizzle, it was actually the first thing she wrote that was published.).
The story is one you've seen a million times: sharp
businesswoman is forced to work with a sharp
businessman. He's domineering, she's resentful, they
butt heads even as they desire to bump other body
parts, and eventually the bumping overwhelms the
butting and they fall in love, and incidentally,
resolve the business dilemma as partners. In this
case the names are Emily Tate and Richard Parker, and
they are supposed to be designing a marketing campaign
for a perfume (Sizzle, of course) together, but that
barely matters.
Classic Crusie touches are already much in evidence
here. Dialogue is snappy, the sex is hot and a bit
edgy, and there is a sassy female sidekick/secretary
to keep everyone in line. The heroine makes at least
one snarky comment about the patriarchy. The only
thing missing is an ugly, abandoned dog.
At the same time, this is definitely an early book,
and shows it. Emily and Richard fall in love with
neck-snapping speed, and I had a hard time getting
past Richard's extreme lack of listening skills. I
also was not very comfortable with both characters'
extremely unprofessional behavior at work. Richard
seems to have beamed in from the Planet Where They
Don't Have Sexual Harassment Laws, and Emily, for all
her asides about the patriarchy, doesn't do much to
discourage him. On the other hand, the tension of
workplace attractions is what can make them so
delicious, and the story certainly plays on that,
tacky sex-at-work scenarios and all.
My main frustration was that the story seemed to be
patterned after typical plots of Harlequin Presents
books, a line where I've never successfully finished a
book because the heroes are so annoyingly uber-alpha,
and the heroines so annoyingly passive. But in the
end, Crusie slyly subverts that stereotypical plot by
having Emily take command in a clever and sexy way,
first in private, and then in the climactic business
conference.
Sizzle is very hard to find and sells for
premium prices on-line. Is it worth it? If you are a
Crusie completist, perhaps. It is a quick and mostly
enjoyable read, but it's over in an hour or so. As
Harlequin/MIRA has started reprinting some of Crusie's
out of print series romances, it might be better to
wait and see if this one makes a reappearance. But if
you stumble across it in a used bookstore somewhere
for a good price, it's certainly worth a look.
-- Colleen McMahon
 |
To comment about any of these reviews on our reviews forum |
|
