Book Review See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

See Jane Score Rachel Gibson At long last, Seattle Times columnist Jane Alcott has a shot at a full-time assignment. She badly needs the income, but unfortunately, the opening is for a sports reporter traveling with the Seattle Chinooks hockey team and she knows nothing about the game. To add to her difficulty, the team doesn't want her, especially Luc "Lucky" Martineau, the Chinooks $33 million goalie. The team stonewalls when she tries to interview them and they haze her mercilessly; it isn't until the superstitious Luc decides that she brings good luck that Jane gets a shot at being a real journalist. But when her acceptance by the team leads to spending more time with Luc, Jane finds, to her dismay, that he’s more than a handsome, empty-headed sports jock and her heart is in danger. Fanatics of Rachel Gibson will realize that See Jane Score is a continuation of her deviant style of putting polarized opposites together. Wasn't her last effort, Lola Carlyle Reveals All - an unbelievable escapism of love between a swimsuit model and military spy? In See Jane Score, Rachel Gibson dumps the stereotypical fantasy and points out - get real. Her female protagonist, Seattle Times Reporter Jane Alcott is assigned to the native Chinooks Hockey Team on a Sports Tournament coverage. She is immediately repudiated by the team because of their supersitition: women are jinx. Her drab black apparel and small breasts doesn't score well for the notoriously aloof but hunky golden player Luc Martineau either. It is before long they got her boot out - only to change their fickle minds when her departure well-wishing blessed them with a triumph. See Jane Score is immediately a hysterically hilarious romp with Jane's sardonic wits and encounters especially in the locker room. Ms. Gibson 's scrupulous research on hockey sculpts the pulsating games and camaderie between the players through witty jargons, inside jokes as well as the pressure and sweat. In all its slapstick laughter and wicked digs, See Jane Score is also a romance with dimensions. Jane considers herself a fraud being an anonymous sex columinst for a porn mag and a vulnerable girl at heart; Luc fears love as much as he is clueless to taking care of his adolescent sister Marie. Ms. Gibson injects a dose of searing intimacy and honesty towards her characters to make the Opposite + Tension and fairy-tale formula work to her favour. They are refreshingly matured and open about their feelings. Let's not forget the sex either. Ms. Gibson scores a hat-trick on that one too. For his part, Luc learns that behind "plain Jane's" boring dark clothing and black-rimmed glasses lies a quick wit, nerves of steel, and a personality that charms him. And when Jane appears at a team banquet with a new haircut, makeup, and a killer red dress with matching sexy stilettos, Luc's affection fast-forwards into a major case of serious lust. But if Jane lets herself fall in love, she'll have to find a way to explain the secret she's hiding before it becomes public knowledge and Luc's passion turns to hate. Can she bring herself to tell him the truth? And if she does, will he forgive her? Set in the rough and tumble world of professional hockey, See Jane Score features an intelligent, likable heroine and a hero with depth beneath his sports jock façade. The layered characters, intriguing setting, and the novel's compelling emotional plot all add up to an excellent contemporary romance. Don’t miss this one. --Lois Faye Dyer From Publishers Weekly Anyone who has ever salivated over a sports pro or mooned after a movie star will relish this fanciful romance between brainy Seattle Times columnist Jane Alcott and hockey player Luc Martineau. Luc, nicknamed Lucky for his ability to score with women and keep his opponents from scoring on the ice, is less than thrilled to hear that Jane will be reporting on the team's games and digging into his unsavory past. Still, he can't help feeling attracted to the pint-sized writer, despite her drab clothes and unfortunate profession. For Jane, the assignment is the perfect opportunity to stop writing fluff and break into serious reporting. But following the progression of the puck turns out to be less challenging than getting the players to talk, particularly Luc, whose lusty looks make her want to ditch her black clothes and wear red. The two eventually wind up in bed together, but Luc's fear of commitment and Jane's fear of abandonment may keep them from taking the next step. Readers will find themselves cheering for the charming couple with the fervor of frenzied hockey fans. Like most fairy tales, this one involves an unlikely transformation (a red dress turns plain Jane into a seductress), but the minor contrivance won't dim readers' enjoyment of this witty, warm-hearted tale. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. See Jane Score Rachel Gibson At long last, Seattle Times columnist Jane Alcott has a shot at a full-time assignment. She badly needs the income, but unfortunately, the opening is for a sports reporter traveling with the Seattle Chinooks hockey team and she knows nothing about the game. To add to her difficulty, the team doesn't want her, especially Luc "Lucky" Martineau, the Chinooks $33 million goalie. The team stonewalls when she tries to interview them and they haze her mercilessly; it isn't until the superstitious Luc decides that she brings good luck that Jane gets a shot at being a real journalist. But when her acceptance by the team leads to spending more time with Luc, Jane finds, to her dismay, that he’s more than a handsome, empty-headed sports jock and her heart is in danger. For his part, Luc learns that behind "plain Jane's" boring dark clothing and black-rimmed glasses lies a quick wit, nerves of steel, and a personality that charms him. And when Jane appears at a team banquet with a new haircut, makeup, and a killer red dress with matching sexy stilettos, Luc's affection fast-forwards into a major case of serious lust. But if Jane lets herself fall in love, she'll have to find a way to explain the secret she's hiding before it becomes public knowledge and Luc's passion turns to hate. Can she bring herself to tell him the truth? And if she does, will he forgive her? Set in the rough and tumble world of professional hockey, See Jane Score features an intelligent, likable heroine and a hero with depth beneath his sports jock façade. The layered characters, intriguing setting, and the novel's compelling emotional plot all add up to an excellent contemporary romance. Don’t miss this one. --Lois Faye Dyer From Publishers Weekly Anyone who has ever salivated over a sports pro or mooned after a movie star will relish this fanciful romance between brainy Seattle Times columnist Jane Alcott and hockey player Luc Martineau. Luc, nicknamed Lucky for his ability to score with women and keep his opponents from scoring on the ice, is less than thrilled to hear that Jane will be reporting on the team's games and digging into his unsavory past. Still, he can't help feeling attracted to the pint-sized writer, despite her drab clothes and unfortunate profession. For Jane, the assignment is the perfect opportunity to stop writing fluff and break into serious reporting. But following the progression of the puck turns out to be less challenging than getting the players to talk, particularly Luc, whose lusty looks make her want to ditch her black clothes and wear red. The two eventually wind up in bed together, but Luc's fear of commitment and Jane's fear of abandonment may keep them from taking the next step. Readers will find themselves cheering for the charming couple with the fervor of frenzied hockey fans. Like most fairy tales, this one involves an unlikely transformation (a red dress turns plain Jane into a seductress), but the minor contrivance won't dim readers' enjoyment of this witty, warm-hearted tale. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Rachel Gibson lives in Idaho with her husband, three kids, two cats, and a dog of mysterious origin. She began her fiction career at age sixteen, when she ran her car into the side of a hill, retrieved the bumper, and drove to a parking lot, where she strategically scattered the car's broken glass all about. She told her parents she'd been the victim of a hit-and-run and they believed her. She's been making up stories ever since, although she gets paid better for them nowadays. About the Author Rachel Gibson lives in Idaho with her husband, three kids, two cats, and a dog of mysterious origin. She began her fiction career at age sixteen, when she ran her car into the side of a hill, retrieved the bumper, and drove to a parking lot, where she strategically scattered the car's broken glass all about. She told her parents she'd been the victim of a hit-and-run and they believed her. She's been making up stories ever since, although she gets paid better for them nowadays. This is the first time I have read a Rachel Gibson book. It held my interest from the beginning it is fast, funny and very entertaining. I really loved this book I couldn't put it down until I finished. She writes sweet, entertaining, romance books that are easy to read. When I am done with a weeks work I want to be entertained and her book did this. She develops her characters well. I am into characters they either make or break a book for me. It is so satisfying seeing plain jane get her man. I am not a fan of hockie and so this book was not a first pick for me, but it is a wonderful woman's story as much as a sports story. There is the fear in the book that a woman's presence may jinx the game. But this author has wit and is just funny she pulls off the a lot of humor. This book was worth my time and money. You will laugh, cry and roll over laughing some more. While feeding your need for a little romance second hand. Judi Singleton owns and operates Be Jewelu