GETTING REAL – Vicki Lewis Thompson, Julie Elizabeth Leto, Jennifer LaBrecque
Harlequin Signature Select
ISBN: 0-373-83639-2
January 2005
Contemporary Romance Anthology

Three blazing stories, all connected by a reality show producer, which are brought to readers in one scintillating book. Each of the three stories is titled according to the name of the reality show where it takes place.

Surviving Sarah – Vicki Lewis Thompson
Los Angeles , California - Present Day

Former teen queen Sarah Donovan agrees to appear on a reality TV show as the “prize” to help revive her flagging career. One of the contestants is Luke Richards, who has been secretly in love with Sarah since high school and is thrilled with the chance to meet his idol in person. One problem though; the competition is a battle of the brawn to win, and Luke's brain is more fit than his body. However, when given the chance in the show to flex his brain muscles, he ends up continuing on and capitalizing on the chance to spend time alone with Sarah. Perplexed by her feelings for Luke, Sarah can't explain why she's attracted to geekish Luke and not one of the other, more attractive men on the show.

Vicki Lewis Thompson shows her sizzling touch with Surviving Sarah. Despite the potential for being unattractive characters, both Sarah and Luke shine, along with providing readers with some scorching scenes. Sarah is not a bubble-brain actress, but shows spunk and humility, and Luke shows innovation to keep alive on the reality show despite the odds. Amusing and full of fun and heat, Surviving Sarah is a delightful beginning to the anthology. My only complaint is that it's too short.

The Great Chase – Julie Elizabeth Leto
Various Locations – Present Day

Charlotte “Charlie” Cuesta and Sam Ryan were not only in a police academy together, but they're former lovers. Now, not only rival P.I.'s, they're partnering in a reality show that takes them on a whirlwind adventure solving a series of cases over several weeks as part if the show. Will they be able to keep their minds on the game and not let their attraction for each other distract them?

The Great Chase hops all over the country, with clues given to them to help solve the mystery of the week. Meanwhile, Charlie and Sam definitely have the hots for each other and are soon not only partners in the “chase” but in bed. Though there are apparently several other competitors, we never see much of them as The Great Chase is Charlie and Sam's story, and boy, are they hot together! And once the show is over, will their affair continue?

Julie Elizabeth Leto proves once again why she puts fun into P.I. capers. I would love to see more of Charlie and Sam as they scorch up the pages in The Great Chase .

The Last Virgin – Jennifer LaBrecque
Atlanta, Georgia – Present Day

Would you jump at a chance to prove to your friends that you can be spontaneous by appearing as a bachelorette on a reality TV. show called Single Girl? Ok, so you don't know much about lovemaking. In fact, you're a virgin, but that shouldn't come up in the show? But, alas, what you don't know is that the producer renamed the show The Last Virgin .

On a lark, thinking she'd impress her friends, Andrea Scarpini agrees to appear on the reality show, Single Girl . Meeting the bachelors, she feels a jolt of desire upon meeting Zach Roberts. Why does she feel a strong desire to lose herself, and her virginity, in Zach's arms? What she isn't aware of is that Zach doesn't intend to stick around long, as he's an undercover journalist on the show looking to reap some inside tidbits for a story. However, Zach also feels attracted to Andrea, making him forget that he is supposed to get booted off the first night. He works on staying alive and does; soon they're making secret plans to steal moments alone away from cameras and prying eyes. Will Andrea lose her virginity to Zach during one of their hot interludes?

What a great ending to a delightful anthology. Jennifer LaBrecque has penned an amusing look at what would happen if a virgin sacrificed herself for a reality show. At the end, readers get a peek at her upcoming book, which features characters from The Last Virgin .

GETTING REAL is connected to Leslie Kelly's books, KILLING TIME and MAKE ME OVER, as Burt Mueller, reality show producer extraordinaire, is featured throughout along with his daughter, Jacey, but it's not necessary to have read those stories to read GETTING REAL. Burt even gets his own secondary story when someone from his past shows up. I found each tale riveting and my only wish is that they'd been longer! Each author has written for Harlequin Temptation and reminds me how much I'm going to miss the series when it ends.

An entertaining look at the reality show craze and three riveting winning stories. Don't miss the enjoyable GETTING REAL.

Patti Fischer