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Simon O'Neal's causing trouble again. And it's up to Gail DeMarco to stop him.
Gail DeMarco left Whiskey Creek, California, to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. Her PR firm has accumulated a roster of A-list clients, including the biggest box office hit of all—sexy and unpredictable Simon O'Neal. But Simon, who's just been through a turbulent divorce, is so busy self-destructing he won't listen to anything she says. She drops him from her list—and he retaliates by taking the rest of her clients with him.
Desperate to save her company, Gail has to humble herself by making a deal with Simon. The one thing he wants is custody of his son, but that's going to require a whole new image. He needs to marry some squeaky-clean girl who'll drag him off to some small, obscure place like Whiskey Creek .
Gail's the only one he can trust. She agrees to become his wife—reluctantly. But she isn't reluctant because he's too hard to like. It's because he's too hard not to love!
"Any book by Brenda Novak is a must-buy for me." -Reader to Reader Reviews
"Brenda Novak's seamless plotting, emotional intensity and true-to-life characters who jump off the page make her books completely satisfying. Novak is simply a great storyteller." -Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author
Novak's smooth plotting makes for a great read." -Publishers Weekly on Dead Right
"Strongly defined characters, sizzling sexual tension and a tautly constructed plot... blend brilliantly together in Novak's exceptionally intense, powerfully emotional novel." -Booklist on Every Waking Moment
"Novak is an expert at creating emotionally driven romances full of heat, sensual tension and conflict that not only satisfy her characters but her readers as well." -Writers Unlimited
Well-written, nicely paced, filled with appealing characters and laced with a few surprises." -Library Journal on Dead Right
"Believable characters and gripping action." -Carla Neggers, New York Times bestselling author
"I suggest Brenda Novak be added to your ‘to buy' list today. You won't be disappointed." -Romance Readers Connection
"Imagery so vivid it leaves you breathless." -Christine Feehan, New York Times bestselling author
She was ruined. She'd become anathema—the Jerry Maguire of the Los Angeles public-relations biz. And it'd happened almost overnight. "You don't look so good."
Gail DeMarco turned away from the phone she'd just hung up to focus on Joshua Blaylock. Dressed in a pair of skinny black jeans with long-toed shoes, a designer jacket and rectangular-shaped glasses, her personal assistant hovered at the corner of her desk, a hopeful yet worried expression on his face. Like her, he'd been hoping they could pull out of the nosedive she'd caused by making one impetuous call, and then a number of thoughtless statements, three weeks earlier. But she could tell Joshua had overheard enough to understand what her other employees didn't grasp quite yet. They hadn't just lost a few important clients, like Maddox Gill and Emery Villere; they'd lost them all. Big Hit Public Relations had fallen from its lofty perch at the top of the PR food chain to crash and burn at the bottom. And it was all thanks to one man. Simon O'Neal, the hottest male lead in the movie business, had flexed his superstar muscles and brought down her company so quickly and easily Gail could hardly believe it. She kept thinking she'd wake up to find that their feud was all a bad dream—or that others would see Simon as the train wreck she knew him to be and side with her instead. But America loved him. He was their new James Dean. He was screwing up right and left, but he had the most loyal fans in the world, fans who were as fascinated by his self-destruction as his talent.
She should never have told him she'd no longer work for him. One client after another had deserted her ever since.
But any self-respecting public-relations professional would've grown tired of Simon's antics. He'd done everything she'd specifically asked him not to, created so many media nightmares, and that made her, as his personal publicist, look as bad as he did. How was she supposed to represent someone like that?
"Hello?" His smile gone, Joshua snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.
Gail forced back her tears. For more than a decade, ever since she'd graduated with a degree in advertising and public relations, then interned for Rodger Brown and Associates, she'd devoted herself to building her company. She had no husband, no kids and very few friends, at least in the L.A. area. Her ambition hadn't allowed time for that. There was only the group of childhood friends in Whiskey Creek six hours north. She saw them every couple of months. But by and large she'd left both family and friends to make her mark in the big city. Here, her employees were closer to her than anyone else. And now she'd have to let them all go. Even Joshua.
"That was Clint Pierleoni." She groomed her voice into a careful monotone to keep it from cracking.
He blinked rapidly, as if he was tempted to cry himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd broken down in her office. He was always getting upset over one man or another. She usually consoled him, actually enjoyed living vicariously through him since it'd been so long since she'd had a love life. But today she had no words of comfort because his pain was her pain, too.
"Don't tell me—" he started.
She broke in before he could get the words out. "He said it's time for him to find another PR company."
"But Clint's been with us from the beginning. I've slept with Clint—after signing that form agreeing not to reveal he's gay, of course."
Gail ignored the last part of what Joshua had said. She didn't condone her employees having sex with the firm's clients. But she'd already written Josh up for his inappropriate relationship with Clint. It seemed pointless to go over her objections again, especially at this late date. What Joshua said about Clint was true. He'd been the first up-and-coming actor to take a risk on her. And she'd done a hell of a job for him at a steal of a price.
She'd expected more loyalty. They'd come so far together. He was bigger now than he'd ever been, and she'd helped make that happen. "He tried to explain—"
Joshua broke in. "Explain what? That he was caving in to the pressure of the Hollywood heavyweights who've joined Simon O'Neal and turned against us?"
"He's afraid staying with us will adversely affect his career. Simon promised him a part in his next movie, and he's positive it will disappear if he doesn't kowtow."
"Simon's a bastard! An alcoholic bastard!"
She narrowed her eyes. "You haven't slept with him, have you?" For just a moment, she allowed herself to imagine what it would do to the almighty Simon's career to leak that information. He'd never be able to play a romantic male lead again. But she knew what Joshua was going to say before he said it.
"He's yummy enough that I'd sleep with him if I had the chance. I don't know many people who wouldn't, except you," he added as an afterthought. "But he's not gay."
"Right." She attempted a shrug, even though she'd had her fantasies about Simon, too. Who hadn't? "Too bad."
He leaned on his knuckles as if he was planning to reveal a big secret. "He is a womanizer, though. I bet we could come up with all kinds of dirt—"
She waved him to silence. "Not the kind that'll surprise anyone. His wife left him because he couldn't keep his pants zipped. His exploits in that area are second only to Tiger Woods's." Even if she had the goods, she doubted she could bring herself to destroy him. She was hurt and angry, but she didn't believe in creating bad karma.
"So what do we do?" Josh asked.
"What can we do?" Drawing a deep breath, she tried to sit tall in her chair, like she was used to doing when barking out orders and handling calls in rapid succession. She thrived on the adrenaline that sustained her on any given day. But her groove was gone, along with her clients.
Sagging against her expensive leather chair, she thought about calling the actors who'd fired her. If only she could talk them into coming back
But it was no use. She'd already tried that. No one would cross Simon, except a few inconsequential clients who didn't care enough about him to follow his lead, and three of them were charities she repped pro bono.
"He's going with Chelsea Seagate at Pierce Mattie," she added dully.
"No!" Joshua punched the air. "That bitch has everyone!"
Also thanks to Simon. He'd been with Big Hit for three years, knew they were rivals, so he'd gone to Chelsea and taken almost fifty of Gail's sixty-four other clients there, too. "Pierce will regret letting Chelsea sign him. Simon will ruin them. There isn't a PR firm in America, or anywhere else, that can protect the image of a client so bent on self-destruction. Since his wife left, he's worse than Charlie Sheen ever was."
"At least PM will die a slow death," Joshua said, dropping into the chair across from her. "How long before we have to close our doors?"
She pursed her lips as she glanced around her swanky office. There'd been days when she'd been unable to believe her own success. Now it all seemed to have been an illusion. "Two months?" Could she even hold out that long?
He rocked forward. "That's it?"
"Our overhead is huge, Josh. Rent alone is fifteen thousand. Together with salaries for twenty people the money will dry up fast."
His next words were muffled; he'd buried his face in the stylish scarf he wore under the collar of his too-cool jacket. "When do we tell the others?"
She couldn't bear to see him slumped over like that. He'd told her not to cast Simon aside but she'd done it, anyway. Simon had deserved to be cut from her client roster—he'd been asking for it—but he wasn't anyone to mess with, and he'd proven that.
Struggling under the weight of her responsibility, she got up and walked to the interior window overlooking the expansive lobby designed to impress visitors. The staff cubicles and three other offices branched off to the right. They couldn't be seen from where she stood, but she could make out the back of Savannah Barton's dark head as she lounged in the doorway of Serge Trusso's office. Savannah was a single mom with two kids. Where would she go? Serge would land on his feet. He saved money, never took anything for granted. But what about Vince Shroeder, one cubicle over? He had a disabled wife. Then there was Constance Moreno, barely twenty years old. She'd come from New York two months ago and signed a year's lease on her apartment. How would she pay the rent?
These people depended on her. Why had she been so determined to punish Simon, to see that he received some type of backlash?
Gail tapped her forehead on the cool glass. "You'd better call a meeting. I'm sure they already know trouble's brewing. It's been dead around here. They're out there throwing spitballs at one another."
"You want me to get them now?"
She thought of Simon's movie premiere tonight and the fact that he'd be at the after-party, probably roaring drunk but enjoying the fame and fortune that followed him everywhere. He shouldn't get away with what he'd done. She'd been in the right, damn it. But if she wanted to save her employees, she was going to have to humble herself and apologize, maybe even beg.
She'd rather throw herself in front of a bus, but there was more at stake here than pride. She had a good team; they didn't deserve to lose their jobs. "No, wait."
"You think something's going to change?" he said with a telltale sniff.
She didn't dare hope. But she had to make one last-ditch effort to save the firm, just in case it was still possible. "Give me until tomorrow."
He toyed with the expensive pen set he and the rest of her staff had bought her for Christmas. "For what?"
She turned to face him. "A Hail Mary."
When Lightning Strikes is the first full-length novel in Brenda Novak's Whiskey Creek series, following the novella When We Touch. It's a much more satisfying book in terms of the plot and character development—two things it's much easier to do well in a longer piece. There's a lot more shades of grey in this book—characters are more well-rounded and realistic (unlike the distinct good sister/bad sister vibe in When We Touch) , although I do have to admit I'd be really hard pressed to find something nice to say about Simon's ex-wife. For a 400+ page book, it still somehow manages to be a fairly quick read. It doesn't really pack many surprises and you do pretty much know what the outcome will be from the beginning, but it was written in such a way that it's just darn hard to put it down. Readers end up caring a lot what will happen to Gail and Simon, and want to get them to their happy ending. It's neither earth-shattering nor life-changing, but is just a really sweet story. It nicely sets up future books: we learn a bit more about the group of friends the series will based on; though it does focus mainly on Gail we see a bit more from Callie, her hometown best friend, and we also learn enough about Cheyenne to set her up as the heroine of the next book, When Snow Falls. I for one can't wait to visit Whiskey Creek again!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 1, 2013
Hi I would like to join as a deputy if possible I am tom needing a mate.
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Posted May 1, 2013
A strange noise came from the ninth result.
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Posted May 1, 2013
A young tom swiftly padded in. He had kind blue eyes and light brown fur. "Hello, my name is Sparkfur, I fled from my original clan when it was torn apart, may I take refuge in your clan? I'm good with herbs so I could help out the med cat if you need me to," he panted.
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Posted May 1, 2013
"Hello, I am Lightningstar." She meowed.
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Posted March 4, 2013
Wonderful story
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Posted March 2, 2013
Note: This story was written by me and my younger sister. I would appreciate it if you would post comments so we can get feedback. Thanks! Also, each chapter will be posted on a different result in lightning strike. Please only leave comments for the chapter in the result that you're on.
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Posted January 28, 2013
Falling in love with Whiskey Creek. Good Read. Well developed characters.
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Posted January 26, 2013
This book is an easy, fun read - a great book to read between those 1,000 page mind bogglers!
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Posted December 28, 2012
Wonderful story
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Posted December 3, 2012
This is a wonderful, charming story of falling in love and second chances.
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Posted October 17, 2012
Under a tree with still green leaves
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 18, 2012
Can't wait for more
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.rhonda1111
Posted September 1, 2012
Well this is the third book this week that I have read of Brenda Novak Whiskey Creek. I
would enjoy reading more books featuring Whiskey Creek.
Gail DeMarco is the owner of her PR firm and she had a fight with Simon O'Neal her biggest star but quit on him. Because he was not listening to her and was out of control. Drinking too much, fighting and he had cheated on his wife a bunch of times now he was divorced trying to get visiting rights to his son Ty.
Simon hit back and took all of her clients with him. She was now going to have to let everyone go. She has one more idea to try first. public apology.
It was really Simon's manager who did the dirty work but he did not stop him.
He accepted her sorry and was going to help her get some clients back.
Her top aid decided that if they were going to close go out with a bang. Spread rumors in the paper that Simon attacted her.
So to try and help Simon get visiting rights and both of them better images. Gail comes up with a plan. Find Simon a wife, stop his drinking and get positive image for two years. But she did not mean for him to marry her.
Before the plan really got started rolling Simon had a accident and almost bled to death. Not sucide but did not get help right away.
So he was going to get married right away and get out of hollywood right away to get him in a better state of mind.
At first I was not too impressed with Simon but thier was a whole more to the story of his troubles and he was a lot better when he did not drink. He was liking the freedom the town of Whiskey Creek gave him.
Gail agreed to marry him not for money but to help make up for her part and her friends part and keep her employees employed.
Simon was willing to do everything to be a better father he loves his son and misses not seeing him.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.
Harlequin MIRA (August 28, 2012) 448pages
twocoulters
Posted August 29, 2012
Thanks to the publisher, Harlequin, and NetGalley for the chance to read When Lightning Strikes early!
I loved Brenda Novak’s Stillwater Trilogy and Last Chance series – so when I discovered she was releasing a new series I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it a read – You should start with the novella, When We Touch – it introduces you to Whiskey Creek.
Did PR firm owner Gail DeMarco make the right decision to stop representing Simon O’Neal? She thought so but now that he is destroying her business she not so sure of herself. If she doesn’t undo some of the damage that Simon has done by taking her clients with him to his new PR firm she is going to lose her company, her employees are going to find themselves without jobs, and she can’t let that happen – so she makes a do or die decision; swallow her pride and apologize.
Even since the news of his divorce Simon has been self-destructing. He is a borderline alcoholic; but that not even his biggest problem ~his ex-wife has sole custody of his son Ty…he isn’t even allowed visitation. The tabloids love the fact that the hottest man in Hollywood is also a complete disaster. Even though, Simon knows that he need to get his life together to regain a spot in Ty’s life. He just can’t manage to stop his self-loathing-womanizing-drunken escapades from destroying his last chance at getting a judge to overlook his past and allow him partial custody. The last thing Simon needs is his ex-PR agent, Gail, to cause yet other spectacle by busting into tears in front of everyone. So they make a deal, he will do his best to restore her clients – if only she will stop making a scene. And everything seems back on track – until Gail assistant decides to take revenge against Simon without her knowledge. Now what?
This book is AWESOME. Brenda Novak knows how to get to the heart of the matter on every occasion. The story, characters, everything is prefect…I wouldn’t suggest any changes – well maybe one this cannot be just a Trilogy because I need more than 3 visits to Whiskey Creek. Also I want to return at least a dozen times to see all of the great characters of Whiskey to get their HEA.
Anonymous
Posted August 28, 2012
Gail DeMarco created a successful PR firm with many A-list clients,
including Simon O'Neal, one of the most successful and gorgeous actors
in Los Angeles. When she decided to cut him loose after his umpteenth
self-destructive act, his business manager retaliated by taking all of
her clients with him. Simon is in the middle of a nasty custody battle
with his ex-wife and needs to clean up his image so he and Gail make a
deal: he'll get her business back in order if she'll agree to marry him
and give him instant respectability. Gail reluctantly agrees to do so to
keep her staff employed and her business afloat. Simon O'Neal was filled
with so much anger which fed his "bad boy image" and led to
his downward spiral Hollywood style. He is carrying around a secret that
was the catalyst to his downward spiral leaving those closest to him
wondering why he is throwing his career and his life away. He doesn't
care what the paparazzi have to say about him in the beginning. Gail
DeMarco puts her pride aside and looks to Simon for forgiveness. Gail
DeMarco is a conservative business woman. She is very straight laced and
to Simon O'Neil she has no feelings. She's extremely intelligent and
knows how to turn a bad situation into a positive. Unfortunately, when
it comes to matters of the heart she's a bit naive and inexperienced.
Gail has that tough as nails attitude and the need to succeed because
she felt she had to prove herself to her overly protective father. As
Gail and Simon embarked on their arrangement to reverse his "bad
boy image" to the Hollywood star image he had before, she began to
see how complex Simon and that there were several layers to his
character. As the story progressed Gail began to see that Simon needed
to remove himself from the place that was the cause of his anger and
would eventually break him. Gail's decision to take Simon to her
hometown of Whiskey Creek was a good lead in to introduce the other
characters that would be part of the series. Not only did we learn more
about Gail but we also got to see Gail peel away the layers of the shell
that Simon had built. As the story progresses we get a look not only
into Gail's history but Simon's as well. This is a true love story of
two people who are polar opposites but come together because they learn
to trust each other and didn't expect anything from each other. Simon
swore he would never fall in love again but with Gail he found true love
because she loved him for him and not for the money. Watching Gail the
once straight laced and hardnosed business woman softened towards the
one person she once hated put together a plan to heal Simon both
physically and emotionally while putting her own feelings at risk was a
wonderful way of showing Gail learning what love is and to see the true
Simon. Simon was able to heal completely and was able to release his
inner demons. Brenda Novak wrote such imagery that pulled the layers
away that showed the raw emotions and the hurt that Simon was feeling
and the way she developed the love between Gail and Simon was fantastic.
Brenda Novak has a unique way of writing because no matter what book I
pick up of hers I'm drawn in after the first paragraph. This is a
definite must read. I also recommend that you read the prequel WHEN WE
TOUCH to get an introduction to WHISKEY CREEK
Anonymous
Posted October 29, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted September 15, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 22, 2013
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted September 3, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Simon O'Neal's causing trouble again. And it's up to Gail DeMarco to stop him.
Gail DeMarco left Whiskey Creek, California, to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. Her PR firm has accumulated a roster of A-list clients, including the biggest box office hit of all—sexy and unpredictable Simon O'Neal. But Simon, who's just been through a turbulent divorce, is so busy self-destructing he won't listen to anything she says. She drops him from her...