Courting Valerie

by Linda Markowiak

Twelve years had passed since Jay Westcott had broken Valerie Brettinger's heart by leaving Amsden, Ohio, without a backwards glance. now the respected big-city lawyer was back, applying for a job as assistant to the county prosecutor. Valerie.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373822332
• ISBN13: 9780373822331
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Harlequin Books
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

I love this book! :)

"Getting Rid of Bradley" by Jennifer Crusie is one of my favourite books. I read a lot and I know what I like, and this is definitely it! The book is character-driven and both the heroine and hero are entertaining and endearing. Lucy Savage, previously Lucy Savage-Porter - which, according to her sister, made her sound like an angry bell-hop - is quirky and crazy. Between her ever-changing and often increasingly bad hair days and her lovable dogs - who are rounded characters in themselves :) - she keeps the pages turning. She meets the love of her life, Zack Warren, after mistaking the unsuspecting sexy cop for a mugger and beating him up in the street - although he maintains that he let her do it, of course. What with her obsessive soon-to-be-ex-husband on the loose, at least one criminal running around shooting at people and a mystery to solve, Zack decides that there is simply no other way around it than that he should move into her beloved house - which she likes more than her ex - with her. Lucy soon finds that Zack - who is in denial that he is in his thirties and could soon be *gasp* old - is a mix of mischievous little boy and mature sex-on-legs man, and Zack swings from commitment-phobe to realising quite quickly that he never wants to leave Lucy, the dogs and the house - heck, he's even loving her cooking lessons! - and just has to figure out a way to get her out of the divorce court and straight back down the aisle - with him! This book is fast-paced, well-written and just plain funny! Highly recommended for romance readers or anyone with a sense of humour.

Yummy!

On the day the divorce from her womanizing husband, Bradley, is final, Lucy Savage can't stop looking at the dangerous looking man in the diner--so different from her banker ex. Maybe it's time to do something spontaneous instead of logical. Outside the diner, the dangerous looking man proves himself--by trying to mug her! Luckily, Lucy is able to fight him off with her physics textbook, and goes home feeling quite pleased with herself.Zack Warren can hardly believe the woman he tried to protect from gunfire outside the diner actually assaulted him with her purse. He didn't even have time before she ran to tell her he was a cop. Now he has to figure out who was shooting at her and why, and what information she has about Bradley, the embezzler he's trying to catch.When Lucy won't leave her home even though it would be safer for her to stay somewhere else (after all, she can't leave her three dogs), Zack stays with her to protect her, and the incendiary devices fly fast and furious. The fire between Lucy and Zack seems to be even stronger than the fire that Bradley--or someone--is throwing at them.If you've read other books by Jennifer Crusie, you know about her quick humor, witty dialog, memorable characters, yummy love scenes, endearing pets...stories that you'll happily devour in one sitting. All those elements are present in this Romance Writers of America RITA award winner. If you haven't read Jennifer Crusie, don't wait another day: treat yourself to the queen of series romance and one of the most exciting novelists in any genre.Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews

Delightful, sexy book. Kept me laughing.

Meet schoolteacher Lucy Savage. She's just been "stood-up" at a divorce hearing by her cheating husband Bradley, her pushy sister Tina keeps telling her what to do, and she has just acquired the hair-do from hell. On top of that, it seems that someone is trying to kill her. In the middle of all of this mayhem, she meets a handsome cop, Zack Warren, who is certain that Bradley is guilty of embezzlement. He also believes that Bradley, for one reason or another, is also behind the attempted shootings and mild bombings aimed towards Lucy. Hoping to protect Lucy and catch Bradley at the same time, Zach moves into Lucy's home. Zack, who doesn't consider himself the marrying type, is certain he'll be able to maintain his hormone level throughout his time with Lucy. Lucy also believes that she'll be able to contain her attraction, but somewhere along the way both her and Zack's plan seems to crumble away, revealing a passion that neither have experienced before. "Getting Rid of Bradley" is one of those novels you just can't help laughing out loud to. Bestselling author Jennifer Crusie manages to tell an entertaining story by blending humour and sexual tension. The characters and situations they are thrust into are so crazy, so left field, that you can't help believing that it could actually happen. The interactions between Lucy and Zack are very entertaining to read and it's nice to watch their relationship develop in such a short time period. What begins as an innocent attraction quickly turns into overwhelming passion and eventually love for the two, who seem hell-bent on preventing just that. If you're looking for a light-hearted, romantic novel, check this one out. You'll just love it!Gennie Bailey-Rogers

Thank heavens for reissues!

This book first came out in 1994 and despite beating a path to bookstore doors for the release of Ms. Crusie's last 4 books...I was caught unaware by this one. But, I snagged it off a shelf, brought it home and couldn't stop reading once I had started it. Phone calls went unanswered, dog went unfed and frankly, I'm not sure if I remembered to feed myself! A more unlikely couple would be hard to find then Lucy, a wacky, recently divorced teacher looking for some changes in her life, and Zack...a cop that feels his age weighing heavily on his tall muscular body, even though he's only 36. The verbal exchanges they put each other through are some of the funniest I've read and that includes Jennifer Crusie's more recent offerings. This book is a delightful experience of laugh-out-loud, foot stomping, eye watering exercises. Along with the hysterically zany moments, we're awarded some of the most enduring, red-hot steamy romantic displays between Lucy and Zack that rivial anything I've read. This book is a whoop and a keeper!

Love, tenderness and loads of laughter!

After catching her perfect husband with a blonde, school teacher Lucy gets a quickie divorce and just wants to put the whole mess behind her. She intends to become a fully independent woman whose biggest responsibility will be keeping her menagerie of mutts happy. She doesn't want or need another man in her life but when she spots dangerously handsome Zack in a café she figures a fling might not be a bad idea. But when he accosts her in the parking lot all of her sexy thoughts fly out the window and she beats the crap out of him with her textbook! She's thrilled with herself until she discovers he's an undercover cop who was only trying to save her life. When further attempts are made on her life he moves in to protect her and ends up falling in love with her dogs and, although it scares the heck out of him, her. This is one of my favorite Crusie books. The heroine is easy to identify with as she has a perpetual bad hair day throughout most of the book. The hero looks tough, and tries to act tough but is a big marshmallow on the inside, especially when dealing with Lucy and her dogs. When he brings her a special gift I was a goner - and so was she. There's a lot of humor, love and touching moments in this great book. I had a blast reading it.