Double the Pleasure

Wild Hart Saga #0.5

by Lori Foster, Deirdre Martin, Jacquie D'Alessandro

Think of the man you'd give anything to be with. Think of what you'd like to do to him...and what you'd like him to do to you. think of the fun you could have. Now, double it!

Joining forces
New York Times bestselling sensation Lori Foster, USA Today bestselling authors Deirdre Martin and Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Penny McCall join together for this tantalizing anthology...

Trading places
Includes a brand-new novella featuring the Winston cousins - sexy twins who use their knockout mirror image good looks to switch places and have a little fun with the girls of each other's dreams...

Contents:
"Deuces Wild" / Lori Foster
"The Luck of the Irish" / Deirdre Martin
"Your Room or Mine?" / Jacquie D'Alessandro
"Double the Danger" / Penny McCall

Genres: Romance, Anthologies, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Short Stories, Ebooks, Sports Romance

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2008

About the author

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.

Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity. You can see the benefit romance books here: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/

Career Highlights
•In 2001, Lori received the prestigious Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Series Romantic Fantasy.

•In 2002, Lori’s book Too Much Temptation was the top-selling romance title for Amazon books.

•In 2003, Say No To Joe was the second “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title for Waldenbooks.

•In 2004, Lori Foster was a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle.

•In 2004, The Secret Life of Bryan was the “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title for the BGI group.

•In 2005, Lori received the prestigious Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Contemporary Romance.

•In 2006, Jude’s Law was the “Bestselling Romantic Comedy” romance title for the BGI group.

•In 2007, Lori launched a new “urban fantasy” series under the name L.L. Foster. See more on her “dark side” at www.llfoster.com.

•In 2007, Causing Havoc was among Amazon’s Top Ten Editor’s picks in Romance.

•In 2008, Hard to Handle made #2 on The New York Times.

•In 2009, Servant: The Acceptance was Amazon’s #1 Editors’ Pick in Romance.

•In 2010, Lori was a clue in the USA Today Quick Cross puzzle.

Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Double the Pleasure" is a new four author anthology put out under the 'Berkley Sensation' line. The stories were all quick reads and mostly medium heat.

"Deuces Wild" by Lori Foster is a brand new novella about a pair of Winston cousins. When Dex's twin Hart decides to try and qualify to become an SBC fighter, he doesn't want the rest of the family to know about it so he asks Dex to 'stand in' for him for a few weeks since even their closest relatives can't tell them apart. Although Dex isn't thrilled, Hart talks him into it. And wouldn't you know it, Dex quickly falls under the spell of Hart's next door neighbor. But how can he really 'court' her when she thinks he's Hart? And why didn't Hart warn him about how sexy his neighbor is? ***Warning: Hot Winstons alert!

"The Luck of the Irish" is Deirdre Martin's contribution about a woman burned by love who becomes involved with a true Irishman from the Auld Sod. But will this Irishman leave her too? ***no sports in this one!

Jacquie D'Alessandro's "Your Room or Mine?" is a humorous and sexy story about mistaken first impressions...and what happens when temporary co-workers drop their shields. ***Smoking tension from D'Alessandro.

"Double the Danger" - It was bad enough for Abby to find her long lost grandfather had been in the witness protection program for all those years, but when his cover is blown and the FBI agent who turns up is the one man she could never forget, how will she ever pull herself together again? ***The more I read Penny McCall, the more I enjoy her stuff. Chilling suspense and hot sex!!

Three out of four were hits for me. Well worth the read!!

[jenjn79 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 / 5

This was one of those anthologies that was fairly good, but each story could have been better if it had been longer. It's hard for a 100 page romance story to be really good. The stories just tend to come off a little abrupt because so much has to be squished into so few pages. But this anthology was better than some I've read.

In the first story by Lori Foster, which features Dex Winston - cousin to the Winstons in some of her other books - twins Hart and Dex Winston are so alike in a lot of ways that most people can't tell them apart. So Hart asks his brother for a favor: pose as him for a few weeks so that Hart can secretly go try out for the SBC Ultimate Fighting sport. Dex isn't happy with the request, but agrees. Then he meets Hart's neighbor, Christy Nash. Something about her draws him in...and he's intrigued by the fact that she has an innate sense that he's different than the neighbor she previously met (which is true, because he's not Hart). The two begin a steaming affair, but Dex wants to tell her that's he's not really Hart. He just hopes that when he does, she'll forgive him.

I enjoyed this story. Foster's Winston series (and the related Visitation, NC series) are one of my favorite romance series. Great characters and great romance. So it was fun to get to revisit those characters...plus, Joe Winston had a cameo, which I loved.

Overall, this was a sexy, steamy story. I wasn't too keen on the hidden identity theme. That kind of thing bugs me, but aside from that, the romance was nice. Other than the hidden identity aspect, my only other problem with this story was the abrupt ending. It came off really, well, abrupt. It just needed more. The HEA felt kind of iffy to me. But I'm looking forward to Hart's story, which I think will be in another anthology coming out sometime this year.

The second novella by Deirdre Martin is a spin-off of her popular Blades series and the beginning of her Wild Hart Saga series. In her book Just A Taste she introduced the character Quinn O'Brien and in this novella Quinn's sister Maggie is feature. She's waitress at her family's Irish Pub (the Wild Hart). It's being renovated by Brendan Kelly and his dad. She's attracted to him, but has sworn off relationships after a disastrous marriage. The chemistry can't be denied though and the two begin an affair.

Like all the other Deirdre Martin books I've read, this story was kind of superficial and soap-operay. The romance was cute, but it didn't really engage me all that much. And I can't say I feel any burning need to read the next book in the series (With A Twist).

The third novella by Jacquie D'Allessandro is a typical enemies-turned-lovers story. Jack Walker is the CFO of Java Heaven and Madeline Price is a consultant brought in to make the accounting division run better...and also to give a report on which 5 of the 20 people in the department should be fired. Jack resents her interference and Maddy is annoyed by his stand-offish attitude. But when they department goes on a retreat, sparks flare between the two. And what was meant to be a one-night stand turns into more.

I'd probably give this story a 3/5 stars. It was sexy and a nice little romance to read, but lacking some in development. The conflict and resolution of the relationship was also very predictable. I knew where this story was headed from very early on. So it was just an average story.

And the last novella by Penny McCall adds a little romantic suspense to the mix. Abigail West is a doctor in a small town, having moved there to get to know the grandfather she'd thought was dead. She's on morgue duty when a body bag is brought in...and is shocked when she recognizes the body as her college lover, Drake...and more shocked to realize that the body is still alive. The shock keeps coming when she finds out Drake is now an FBI Agent in the area and sent to protect a man in the witness protection program...a man who turns out to be her grandfather. Now Abby and Drake must hide from hitman, protect her grandfather, and confront the chemistry that still exists between them.

I would have loved it if this novella had been a full length story. The beginning was great....unzipping a body bag, finding an old lover inside, and realizing he's still alive. Very interesting way to start a story. And it could have been a great way to set up a full-length romantic suspense novel. The story was pretty solid as it was...though the ending needed more development, but I enjoyed this story a lot. It was probably my favorite of the 4 novellas.

So overall...a decent anthology. Not great, but not awful. If you don't mind anthologies and have read any of these authors before, then you'd probably find something worth while about this set of stories.

[SoBeA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over all not God Awful, but not all that great either.

Fosters was typical of her writing, and had little to no angst...but it feels like there are some details missing. And the heroine forgives the Hero way to easily esp considering how flimsy his excuse for lying was. Said excuse did more to make both the H and his twin look more like jerks then Heroes, though she did make me want to read the twin' story, wherever that turns up.

Deirdre Martins.. was low angst, and pointless plot devices that served the sole purpose of annoying me. I'd actually started her story months ago, and got bored with it, and forgot I'd ever started it... I did manage to finish it, but if you're new to DM's works, don't start with this novella! It will not make you a fan. She's better with whole length novels where's she's got the room to create whole stories.

Jacquie D'Alessandro's was the strongest of the 4 stories... Usually I don't like the hate at first site theme, but JD carries it well. Of the four authors in this anthology, she's the only one who's told a complete story in a limited amount of space.

McCall's was just bad. I'm hoping this is a case like DM's, where her whole novels are actually worth reading, as this short was not! It was supposed to be cutesy, but I just found it annoying. It felt like you were dropped right in the middle of an already ongoing story and were missing half the details! And the heroine comes off as inept and the Hero as a callous jerk. I pretty much sped read through it, just to get it over with!

I'd say if you're looking for a book to cleanse your palate, so to speak, this is a good choice, though it's not necessarily a GoodRead.

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology was only ok, nothing spectacular. See below for how I would rate the individual stories.

"Deuces Wild" by Lori Foster (4 stars)
I thought it was a fun story with the twin switcharoo.

"The Luck of the Irish" by Deirdre Martin (1 stars)
I didn't like this one because I really disliked Maggie, the main woman in the story.

"Your Room or Mine?" by Jacquie D'Alessandro (4 stars)
In enjoyed this story of mistaken first impressions.

"Double the Danger" by Penny McCall (2 stars)
I didn't feel like there was any real chemistry between the characters.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deuces Wild - Lori Foster - 2 /5 - This story is loosely in the Visitation, NC series, since Joe Winston is in it, but it doesn’t really involve all the same characters. This focuses on some new Winston cousins, Dexter and Hart, who are identical twins. Hart needs Dexter to pretend to be him for a while and live in his apartment while he goes off to some SBC fighting camp. Dex reluctantly agrees but has a new appreciation for his task when he discovers sexy neighbor, Christy Nash. He chats her up and seduces her into a relationship, but she’s still thinks he’s Hart and is suspicious of his new personality and sudden interest. As they fall in love, Dex just wants her to know who he is. This mostly irked me. I think since the author didn’t establish a good reason for the switch...not like anybody actually checked in with Hart the whole time...how was anyone supposed to know what he was doing? And what if someone wanted to know where Dex was? It was pointless. And then you’ve got Christy lusting after a manwhore in her building and she’s all gung ho about letting him into her pants as soon as he’s interested, even knowing how promiscuous and unlikely to settle down he is. Her lack of self-preservation just astounded me. I also happen to think she should have been just a little more angry at the deception. Her underreaction to learning she’d been sleeping with a guy without knowing his name was a bit difficult to believe. The author did do a pretty fantastic job of setting up Hart’s story though - I’m equal parts pissed with him and intrigued about what Lisa wants.

Luck of the Irish - Dierdre Martin - 3 /5 - Coming off a bad divorce and working in her parents’ New York bar, Maggie O’Brien has sworn off men, but can’t resist ogling carpenter Brendan Kelly. He’s a charmer, so she’s naturally wary, but she gradually lets him in. But he’s keeping secrets, no doubt. As an introduction to this author and several of her stories on my TBR list, I wasn’t too terribly impressed. I’m gonna chalk this up to having to write in novella format, which isn’t always the best format for some authors. I felt like this story felt disjointed and the pacing felt a little off...like some things that needed more time were just rushed through. Also, I didn’t really connect that well to the characters and their behavior felt a bit strange - like Brendan starting a relationship when he’s contemplating a move to Dublin or Maggie’s totally OTT reaction to the INS agents statement. It’s still a decent story and the characters were still likeable enough, so I wouldn’t quit on this author yet, but I’m going to have to read a longer book to see if this author and I mesh.

Your Room or Mine? - Jacquie D’Alessandro - 4 /5 - Jack, CFO of Java Heaven, disliked Maddie, the new consultant, on sight. Not only does he resent her presence in the company, but he can’t stand her icy demeanor or her prim attitude. Maddie isn’t too thrilled with Jack’s player attitude and disdain for her either. So neither of them is thrilled when they’re paired up together for the company weekend retreat and they have to get to know each other. But what they find is that they both have a lot of misconceptions and they share an incredible chemistry. This was actually pretty cute. I was waiting to see if there was going to be some hurt feelings because of their dislike for each other, but both of them are pretty upfront about their misconceptions and the author is good at showing how they tear them down. And the chemistry really was electric - their progress from the bar to bed was very sexy. And there was just the right touch of angst and apology there at the end. Nice story.

Double the Danger - Penny McCall - 3 /5 - Abby West is a doctor about to perform an autopsy. When she unzips the body bag, she’s surprised to see her former lover and even more surprised that he isn’t actually dead. Drake left Abby 10 years earlier to join the FBI, thinking he wanted excitement more than a life with her and breaking her heart. But now he’s the only one who can protect her and her grandfather from the killers that hunt them. And if long dead feelings are rekindled, they may have to figure out how to build a future together. So this started out great, with a truly intriguing beginning and the story itself was very dynamic. Not a lot of low points and some pretty quick pacing. It was definitely engaging. But the moment I read about Drake breaking Abby’s heart 10 years earlier, I had doubts that this would work out. And with all the action in here, there just isn’t enough time for the two of them to wrap up their angst sufficiently. Drake did an asshole thing and he wasn’t exactly showing much remorse over his actions. And Abby had loads of heartbreak, but she didn’t show or share any of it to Drake so he could writhe in her suffering..and he needed to. This just glossed over their real issues and, although there’s plenty of monologuing about it, there’s almost no discussion on their part. Had this been longer and both the action and the angst could have been dealt with satisfactorily, this would have been much better.

[☂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3
Deuces Wild by Lori Foster

This story continues on with the wildly appealing Winston men. Here we meet twins Dexter and Hart Winston. Dexter is a keep to oneself kind of guy and a writer. Hart is an outgoing painter who has hopes of breaking into the SBC (Supreme Battle Challenge) circuit. Hart asks Dex to assume his life, live in his apartment, check his mail, play nice with his new neighbors and pretend he's Hart while he leaves for training. Hart doesn't want to involve the family until he signs a SBC contract but in order to do that he has to leave without them knowing. Dex and Hart have switched places before to trick family and to see if girlfriends could tell them apart -they never could - which Hart sees as a sign that they haven't meet the one yet. Dex is hesitant to participate in the deception but he knows Hart has real talent and well, he can work from anywhere so what can it hurt? He finally agrees and things go smoothly until he meets Christy Nash, Hart's across the hall, pretty, petite, sweet, auburn haired, green eyed, adorable neighbor. Why hadn't Hart mentioned her? Christy has been lusting after Hart every since he moved in 6 weeks ago but Hart couldn't be less interested until suddenly he's meeting her at the mailbox, finishing his sweaty, shirtless jog right as she's getting home from work and looking at her like he's never seen her before but likes what he sees. Not that she's complaining but she is confused, an interested.

This is a predictable little story but no less fun and sweet watching a budding romance unfold. I haven't read Joe Winston's story but he's featured briefly in this book. I have met other Winston men and liked what I read so this is a nice little addition to the Winston men's love stories. I can't wait to read about Hart in Double the Heat.

3.5/3.75
The Luck of the Irish by Deirdre Martin

Well, you had me at Irish. Maggie O'Brien works at her parents bar, Wild Hart in Hell's Kitchen, NY only until she can get her life back on track. Recovering from an ugly divorce and swindling ex-husband, Maggie vows to never be taken in by a charming man again. Brendan is a silver-tongued charmer but she's agreed to drinks...nothing more. Brendan Kelly has lived in the States for 10 year and he's months away from citizenship. He works with his uncle Joe, currently renovating Maggie's folk's bar. Joe has offered him the business and Brendan is looking forward to taking over until he gets a call from his brother Connor back in Ireland. Connor is making a mint building cabinets for the likes of Bono and Colin Farrell and has offered Brendan a job. Brendan misses his family and Ireland and he only left because the economy was in the tank. Now things are looking good, better than good but he realizes he loves New York and he's grateful to uncle Joe and can't wait to be his own boss. Plus, now there's Maggie who shouldn't be a factor after just drinks....but she is.

These two had an unpretentious little dynamic that was amusing and sweet. Brendan accepts an awful lot of sass from Maggie and it makes him that much more likable. Maggie has some issues and some past hurts that Brendan is extremely patient with but then again Brendan just seems like an exemplary man so I'd expect nothing less. This was a nice story and relationship dynamic which made it fun to read.

4.5
Your Room or Mine by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Jack Walker has worked as CFO of Java Heaven for mere months when his boss Gavin hires consultant Madeline Price to help bond and resolve issues within the department. Jack resents her, and her blah, blah, blah and her endless notes, and her billable hours, and well everything about her. His department is a sinking ship and he's doing everything in his power and capable hands to rescue it. He doesn't need Maddie looking over his shoulder. So his furious when he learns that his department is going on a weekend team building retreat and he and Maddie specifically have an orienteering (abandoned in the woods with a compass and map and teamwork to navigate them back) session, six a.m Saturday. Maddie deals with men like Jack all the time. Extra long lunches on Wednesday, returning with his tie is askew and hair tousled. Doesn't work a second past 5 on Fridays, probably because of all his hot dates. She even over hears Jack canceling his weekend plans with two of his "sweethearts" in order to attend this retreat. Jeez, how many "sweethearts" does he squeeze in in a weekend? He's handsome but mostly his annoying. Men like Jack resent her work and think she has nothing to offer. Well, she only has a few weeks left at Java Heaven and she'll turn in her recommendations and never have to see him again. But this weekend, with a firemen's charity golf tournament being held at the same resort, she's decided she's going to buy some sexy lingerie and peruse a one night stand with one of those firemen. It's totally unlike her but it's been months since she's been with a man and she's sworn off relationships so this is a perfect opportunity, maybe her only opportunity.

I liked this story instantly and even thought to myself somewhere in the middle Oh, I love it. It's so perfect. Now perfect for me might be someone else boooring and predictable, but they would be wrong. ;) I love adversarial romantic relationships. I love misconceptions. I love creeping realizations of romantic feelings. I loved Jack Walker and Madeline Price together, particularly in their intimate moments which were amusing and steamy. If this were a novel it would have been a 5 star rating and I do not give 5s easily. Jacquie D'Alessandro is you have written anything else I can get my grubby hands on I'm readin' it!


3
Double the Danger by Penny McCall

At her mother's death bed Dr. Abigail West learned that she had a grandfather living in the small Illinois town of Pottersville, so leaving behind a promising career in D.C., Abby moves in order to be near her grandad, Virgil. The transition hasn't been easy. The small town doesn't take well to outsiders and they especially aren't taking well to Abby. She shares clinic space with another doctor but generally she isn't allowed to see patients. Acting as corner tonight because no one else wanted to work on the weekend Abby gets a John Doe. Ok, so he's dead but if that's all they'll allow then she'd take it. That is until she opens the bag containing John Doe and discovers it's her college sweetheart Drake. She and Drake were together two years and she thought marriage was on the horizon until the day after he graduated he left and never really explained why or looked back. Now he's here in this horrible little town, and dead. And that's when the fun begins...

This one starts out crazy! I was sad, confused, anger, worried and thrilled all in the first handful of pages. There's a bit of mystery and suspense, some Mafia connections, FBI agent, hit men, a reunited true love. In a story that didn't allow for a great deal of time to reconnect and then uh, well physically connect, the author does a good job of finding time for two sex scenes. I'm a big fan of reunited love, especially if it originally ended badly so this little story worked for me.

[Jamoz23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read for the Winston Brothers story.
Very short story with Dex impersonating Hart whilst Hart is off training to fight.
Dex falls for Christy, Harts neighbour.
No real story to speak off. Might have been better if Dex didn’t have sex with Christy until he could tell her the truth.
Sort off humorous that Christy kisses Hart instead of Dex but knows.
Found Christy very forgiving for being duped and deceived.
Read a long time ago.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the first story and the third story were pretty great for short stories, really enjoyed them. The second story was okay, about what I consider average for a story of this length. The last story was kinda eh for me.

[Maryjane Coons · Rating 3 out of 5]

was ok

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 for the Winston Brothers novella

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

rating for the Deirdre Martin story only

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lori Foster and Penny McCall offerings were good. The other two can be skipped.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 - 4 stars
I wanted to read this book because I am a fan of 3 of the 4 authors. The fourth, Penny McCall, I have never read, but I'm all for trying out new authors. I take anthologies for what they are--short books that are only "samples" of the author's work. They usually are a little lacking, but a good one will still tell enough of the story to give it closure and give enough about the characters that you either like them or you don't.

DEUCES WILD (SBC Fighters, Bk 4)- by Lori Foster
Deuces Wild is also part of the Winston series. I have not read any of either series (I do plan to, but haven't gotten there yet) Hart asks his identical twin, Dex, to "cover" for him and pretend to be him while he trains to be an MMA fighter. Dex reluctantly agrees and then is captivated by the woman across the hall.
The story was decent enough, but I didn't like the set-up as to why Dex had to pretend to be Hart--it just didn't seem necessary. The romance was fun and cute. I also really liked the characters. Hart's story is obviously set up throughout the story, which was a little annoying, but it did make me interested in reading more about him.

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH (Wild Hart Saga #1)- by Deirdre Martin
The Luck of the Irish is the first in the Wild Hart Saga series. Of course Martin also mentions the Blades once in the story.
I liked Brenden, but Maggie was a little off-putting. Her attitude annoyed me and came across as whiny. I did like the interaction within the O'Brien family and found some of it humorous.
Cute story with a few annoyances...I have found that true in the last couple of Martin's books, though.

YOUR ROOM OR MINE- by Jacquie D'Alessandro
I have only read D'Alessandro's category romances and liked them all, so this was very similar to one of them.
Jack and Maddie are "enemies" at work, but find out there is more to each other than what they think when they are forced on a "bonding" trip for work.
I think I liked this one the most. Maybe because it stands on its own the best and I felt like the story was complete. I liked both Jack and Maddie and would have liked more, but it wasn't necessary.

DOUBLE THE DANGER- by Penny McCall
My first read by Penny McCall. This one could have most easily been expanded into a longer book. It would have been a lot better had it been longer--it just felt like something was lacking because it wasn't explained enough.
Dr. Abby West is living in a small town that she doesn't like because she wants to be close to her grandfather--he only living relative that she didn't know until a year earlier. The town doesn't appreciate her and she is forced to work on dead bodies because they won't let her treat the live ones. When she opens the body bag of her current patient she is shocked to find it is her old college flame, Drake, and he is still alive. Turns out she is in danger and he is the only one who can protect her.
What was difficult about it being short was the inability to build enough suspense/tension in between scenes. I just didn't feel the excitement enough throughout the story. I think that had it been longer, that could have been remedied.
I am planning on trying out a full-length Penny McCall book.

[Pattianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE - LAW SERIES #3 -

Think of the man you'd give anything to be with. Think of what you'd like to do to him...and what you'd like him to do to you. think of the fun you could have. Now, double it!

Joining forces
New York Times bestselling sensation Lori Foster, USA Today bestselling authors Deirdre Martin and Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Penny McCall join together for this tantalizing anthology...

DEUCES WILD (SBC Fighters, Bk 4)- by Lori Foster
Dexter Winston is an amazing writer, but he is not an actor. When his brother Hart wants him to step into his life and act like him so he can go and train to be a fighter, Dex is a little cautious. That is until he sees Hart's next door neighbor Christy. Christy has always had a crush on Hart but he is so much more her type these days. When he finally starts to pay attention to her she thinks her dream has come true. She falls in love with him but when she learns the truth which Hart is she truly in love with?

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH- by Deirdre Martin
Maggie O'Brian is a waitress at her family's pub. Brendan is a carpenter who works for his Uncle Joe, and is remodeling the Wild Hart. He is more than willing to take his time at work if it means he can be around the feisty Maggie. But he may have bitten off more than he can chew because Maggie is in no way going to let herself get hurt again... and Brendan has a big secret that could devastate her.

YOUR ROOM OR MINE- by Jacquie D'Alessandro
Jack Walter is going to have to spend the whole weekend at a retreat for all his co-workers, with the woman he can't stand. Maddie Price did not plan being stuck a whole day early with the most frustrating man ever, when she suggested this weekend for team building. But she has some important choices to make and that means finding a hot guy to have a one night stand with.

DOUBLE THE DANGER- by Penny McCall
Dr. Abby West was just performing the routine autopsy when her John Doe turned out to be her ex. Her un-dead ex at that. When he jumps off the table Abby thinks she has lost her darn mind, but it turns out that she is very must sane and very much in danger. Drake did not expect to wake up and see his ex-girlfriend. But she is his mission, or rather her grandfather is. Drake is an FBI agent sent to protect Abby's grandfather who was in the witness protection program. Abby must cooperate with Drake or else she and her grandfather will end up dead

[Stormy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is based mostly on the Deirdre Martin story "The Luck of the Irish", I may have enjoyed this story more if I had read it earlier in the whole series. It's a bit anti-climatic to read this very short and pretty uncomplicated HEA for Maggie and Brendan after meeting them repeatedly...together...in future books. It was a bit disappointing that none of the rest of the cast of characters made an appearance in the story either. Oh well. But overall it was a feel good story with an Irish brogue. Not a bad way to spend an hour or so.

Then I started reading the Lori Foster story and I just don't like the Winstons. Not to mention the fact that I read Hart's story which is the one after Dex's story so it's weird reading them out of order. I may finish it, but I'm already not enjoying it much more than I enjoyed Hart's (though Dex does seem a bit less obnoxious than Hart...which wouldn't be hard cuz Hart may be one of the most obnoxious characters I've met in a long time).

I think I'm realizing that I'm just not much of a short story kinda gal. And while I may be getting full-up on the death, violence and angst of the vampire/demon underworld, I'm still not really up for the straight "girl meets boy, no real obstacle between them except for their own insecurities" story either.

Hmm, guess that's why I've been enjoying YA paranormal lately. Not too much death and gore, but a little more tension than the average "gosh, I wonder if he likes me, I like him, but I'm not going to tell him first, but what if he leaves me without ever knowing how I feel, maybe I should tell him" story.

Okay, so I finished the Winston story and still haven't warmed up to that series. Dex is definitely better than Hart, but the whole story was really not all that interesting or entertaining. So I'll stick with the 2 star rating and try to avoid the Winstons in the future.

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lori Foster's novels and I've heard so much about her novels about the Winston men but never had the chance to read their books. So when Lori came to me about reviewing her December Berkley Anthology release of Double the Pleasure which features an all new Winston novella I knew I had to get the books that started it all. Wildly Winston is a four-in-one novel with the first 4 books about the original 4 Winston brothers and also the book Say No to Joe? which comes after Wild . After reading all four Winston brother's love stories and reading their cousin Joe Winston's love story I have to say I was excited about reading this book. I've never had the pleasure of reading any of Jacquie D'Alessandro, Penny McCall and Deirdre Martin's novels but after reading their novellas in this novel I'm going to be check out some websites and bookstores and seeing what new novels I will be trying out next year.

Deuces Wild by Lori Foster is the first novella of the book and is another wonderful Winston story to capture your heart from the beginning of this awesome novella. This novella is about twin Winston brothers Dexter and Hart Winston who have used their identical appearance to fool their family and even women to thinking they were one or the other twin.

Read rest of Review...

[Tonya Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

DEUCES WILD - by Lori Foster
Dexter Winston puts aside his writing to fill in for his identical twin brother Hart. Hart has a secret to maintain and relies on his brother to pretend to be him while training to become a SBC Fighter. Then Dex meets Hart's next door neighbor, Christy. And Christy knows something is different about Hart.

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH - by Deirdre Martin
Maggie O'Brian is recovering from a mesy divorce and working as a waitress in the family pub. The pub is under remodel and the main attraction is Brendan Kelly, a carpenter who works for his Uncle Joe. While Maggie pulls at Brendan's heart strings, so does the draw from his homeland in Ireland.

YOUR ROOM OR MINE - by Jacquie D'Alessandro
Maddie Price is a consultant working on employee recommendations for the company Jack Walter is the CFO for. A department retreat seems the perfect way to monitor how the department works together. And a chance for Maddie to have a little one-night romance. Jack decides that a little romance might do him just as well. And Mad Dog Maddie might just fit the bill.

DOUBLE THE DANGER - by Penny McCall
Dr. Abby West finds the John Doe on her autopsy table is not just her ex boyfriend, but not dead at all. Drake is not dead. And finding Abby raises all kinds of questions of where his life should go. While trying to protect Abby's grandfather from the hitman on his tail, Abby worms her way back in to Drake's heart.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit up front that I am not overly fond of short stories because I usually feel that they move too quickly to reach the finale with not enough stops to make it plausible. The reader gets background, hiccups, explainations to get the reader involved in the stories and characters. I felt I really got that with only one story...Your Room or Mine? Jack and Maddie have only recently met in the story and they both make a lot of presumptions about the other person and all of that is explained and the chemistry is pretty intense. I liked Lori Foster but I think that I enjoyed it only because I have been reading the SBC series. This is an off story because the Winstons aren't overly involved in any of the complete stories. But I liked Dex and Christy together. Luck of the Irish i will say I was a little bored with. Sex scenes were good, but I thought there wasn't enough of a story to keep me invested in the story. I am reading the full length book following Quinn O'Brien to see if things translate better when in a longer format. The last story with Abby and Drake I enjoyed but again thrown right in I wished that we saw a little of the chemistry between them and seen the choices they made previously played out more. I liked the action and the dialogue and only wished for a little bit more time with them. OVerall a good read, but kept me wanting more.

[Bookaholics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double the Pleasure- Anthology

Mass Market Paperback Contemporary Romance – December 2nd, 2008
4 ½ Stars

I particularly enjoyed the Luck of the Irish novella from the Double the Pleasure anthology. It is the first in the Wild at Hart Saga by Deirdre Martin!

The Saga begins with Maggie O’Brien, a woman jaded by a string of bad relationships, including a failed marriage. Maggie’s family owns the Wild at Hart pub in New York, a place where everyone knows your name; much like the TV show Cheers.

In walks Brendan Kelly, hired to give the pub a face lift. Maggie reacts with instant dislike and distrust for Brendan. Her fragile insecurities are tested in a high-stake game in which the heart is placed on the line.

This is a story of trust, vulnerability and risk wrapped in family ties, loyalty and tradition. I liked the setting for this novella and wished the Wild at Hart pub was around the corner. Deirdre Martin does a great job in balancing the relationships between the O’Brien family members. The only minor problem I had with the story was that it moved so fast that it seemed like I was reading a sitcom storyline where everything takes place in ½ hour.

Reviewed by Cez from Bookaholics Romance Book Club

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology with four short stories, contemporary and smutty fluff.
Lori Foster´s Deuces Wild, Dexter gets persuaded by his twin to take his place for a month, just to stay in his home not to alert their family that Hart is away training. It doesn´t take long for Dex to take notice of the neighbor Christy. She´s had a crush on the yummy next door neighbor but nothing has come of it, until now.. .
Now i need to read Hart´s story because i need to know what it was Lisa was calling about.
Deidre Martin´s The Luck of the Irish, Maggie´s working at the family pub and can´t resist the charming carpenter Brendan.
A short, harmless story with a bit of fluff.
Jacquie D'Allesandro´s Your room or Mine, Jack is plagued by the consultant his company hired, and when they both have to go on the team building retreat, somethings got to give. Maddie just want this weekend to be over, but she might get something she needs after all.
Penny McCall´s Double the Danger, Abby´s living with her granddad when she stumles upon her long lost but never forgotten lover. Drake´s got a couple of secrets that he finally can tell Abby but that´s not why he´s here.

A great anthology, lots of action, suspense, smutty fluff and alpha males.

[Kezermezer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many collections by multiple authors, Double The Pleasure is quite uneven from story to story.

Foster's "Deuces Wild" was a fun romp with likable characters and hot sensuality, but it felt rushed - Foster often has trouble with pacing in her short stories. Also, the way Dex and Christy came together was unsatisfyingly easy, even with the major obstacle they faced.

Martin's "The Luck of the Irish" was an OK read but not terribly impressive.

D'Alessandro's "Your Room or Mine?" was great. Great characters, great situation, enough bumps in the road to keep it interesting but with a satisfying ending, and lots of very well done sensuality. Yum!

McCall's "Double the Danger" was just ridiculous, and touched by the Kiss of Death for romances - unlikable main characters. It reminded me strongly of the one Jennifer Crusie story I ever bothered to read, a short entitled "Hot Toy" (from Santa, Baby which includes contributions from Lori Foster and Carly Philips). Like "Hot Toy", "Double the Danger" is just OFF in a way that makes me think the author is actually an alien observing humans from afar.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary romance. Given the 1st story is about twins, you'd think "Double the Pleasure" is all about that. Not true!

Lori Foster - 3 stars. Protected sex. This is an OK story. The usual you'd expect from LF. The only thing is although the twins are Winstons & although SBC fighting is mentioned, these twins could have really been anyone. Nothing really exciting goes on, although Joe Winston does make an appearance!

Word of the day : propinquity means nearness, proximity. Similar in nature. Why any 20 something guy would use this in a sentence is beyond me. The funny thing is the man whore painter brother uses this word, not the writer brother.

Deirdre Martin - 3 stars. Protected sex. This one is also an OK read. Burned in love waitress falls for carpenter.

Jacquie D'Alessandro - 4 stars. Protected sex. I really liked this one. The best story in the bunch IMO! Business consultant & the head of an accounting Dept. think they dislike each other. They find out they're wrong!

Penny McCall - 3 stars. I had to take off a star for unprotected sex. I liked this one, it was interesting & different. I didn't like the male lead though. He was a big jerk.

[July · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in this book was the best. Written by Lori Foster, love them Winstons. It made the book worth buying! Dex's story is great. Can't wait for the next twin story. Hart should go down without a fight after seeing his brother get a soul mate. But Hart has become a SBC fighter so maybe not..
The next story by Deirdre Martin was cute. I liked Brendan and Maggie's story but I thought it would have made a better full length story.
The third story by Jacquie D'Alessandro was ok.
The Fourth by Penny McCall also was ok.

[Tina J · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Deuce's Wild" is one of four novellas found in DOUBLE THE PLEASURE.
For a short story, it packed a lot of content. The twins featured in this book are related to the Winston's of Ms Foster's other series as well as placing in between books 3 & 4 of the SBC series.
I enjoyed the lead characters and the fact that there were not a lot of secondary characters to distract from the story, being that it was so short. I expected a stronger conflict that would need resolution before the HEA, but even without it, it was an enjoyable quickie.

[Mareli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read something by Deirdre Martin I remember why I love this author!! She's great! She's brilliant, her women are brilliant and her men too! I love the sparks and the humor, the banter between our heroes and I love her wonderful extended background. In this particular case, I loved her use of Irish colloquialism so familiar and funny. How she uses families to mean wonderful ties. What can I say? She's totally great!

I'm on book two...

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based only on the story by Lori Foster.

I really liked this one, but knew that the idea of twins swapping identities could only cause trouble. Right from the start I didn't care for Hart, that he could come up with this screwball idea proves how self involved he is. I was glad that Christy could tell the difference from the start. I really expected there to be more fall out when Christy learned the truth. I did love it that she kept putting down Hart.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up specifically because of the Lori Foster "Winston" novella and was not disappointed. I'm a sucker for a good series and love the Winston characters.

This is the second book I've read from Deirdre Martin and am beginning to enjoy her as well.

The third and fourth stories were OK, but not fantastic.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Winston men is never a bad thing, although I was kind of surprised at the premise of this one.
I'm going to have to check out some of Penny McCall's book, really enjoyed Abby and Drake's story. And Jacquie D'Alessandro's story was hot!
Love the family feeling of Luck of the Irish, loved Maggie and Brendan,

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four short stories, each having something to do with twins. If all the stories were as good as the first this would be four stars. If all the stories were as good as the last this would be two stars.

[Ladying · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great find! I stumbled on this book in the clearance section & am pleasantly surprised how good it was. Can't imagine why this was marked down. There are 4 novellas with all different stories to enjoy.