Dear Prince Charming

Donna Kauffman's DEAR PRINCE CHARMING chronicles the escapades of a straight-laced publicist as she tries to pull off the biggest hoax in the world of magazine publishing. Valerie Wagner is a slave to fashion, obsessed with the glossy pages of fashion magazines since her elementary school years. She spent most of her life attempting to establish a career related to fashion, sampling in everything from modeling to serving as an assistant to fashion magazine editors. She doesn't find her niche in this realm until she acts her way into a position as the publicist for Glass Slipper, a periodical soon to be launched. Having just landed the elusive Prince Charming, a reknown relationship advice columnist who exposes the inner thinkings of males to women, as the spokesperson for the magazine, Valerie feels she is on top of the world. However, she takes a mighty stumble when she discovers Prince Charming has a secret that might damage Glass Slipper's reputation before its big debut. With the real Prince Charming out, Valerie has no other choice but to accept a stand-in. The only man brave enough to dare take the place of Prince Charming is Jack Lambert. A man's man, Jack is as far from the proverbial white knight as a person can be. As a sportswriter with a haunted past and a fear of commitment, he is no Prince Charming. Or is he? That is the question that Donna Kauffman sets out to answer in this entertaining tale about finding Mr. Right (or Wrong) at the wrong time. I did not find this novel very funny, but I still liked it. The strength of this book lies in its two main characters--Valerie and Jack. They are not your typical romance hero and heroine, so if you are looking for a swooning love story, you might want to look elsewhere. Valerie and Jack develop an almost instantaneous attraction to one another when they first meet, but being two career-oriented people with paths leading in opposite directions, they resist the idea of pursuing a relationship. This hesitation allows Kauffman to develop the two characters as individuals. Valerie is a workaholic who enjoys having control over all aspects of her life and who knows how to take care of herself. However, Kauffman gives her a softer and more vulnerable side, so I found that I could easily relate to Valerie. Jack has typical journalistic traits--sharp, aggressive, and slightly impulsive. He also has a playful nature, which shines in his interactions with Valerie. They always banter when in a room together and try to push each other's buttons, especially Jack. He and Valerie, being two smart characters, choose to participate throughout the novel in a form of foreplay composed of dialogue and intellect. This proved to be a nice break from the "love at first sight" idea that other romance stories center on. However, this book was not without its flaws. I didn't really like the three "godmothers," the women who own and run Glass Slipper, Inc. I found them to be over-the-top and annoyi

Loved every moment of the book. it is such a page turner because of the witty lines and that you are really hoping Jack and Valerie would get together already! Loved it! I read the Cinderella Rules first and enjoyed that extremely and then once i found out that Donna Kauffman wrote another book with Glass Slipper, Inc. I simply had to read it! Donna Kauffman is a great writer. Happy Reading!!

Valerie Wagner is a publicist hired to launch a new magazine published by the Glass Slipper Godmothers (of "Cinderella Rules" fame). Her major coup is an exclusive column penned by internet dating guru, Prince Charming, who provides the viewpoint of guys (and actually understands women!) to her loyal readership, despite managing to remain anonymous all these years. Upon the launch of his column, Eric, aka as the Prince, is in turmoil. He has harbored a secret for many years (even his best friend does not know about it). After telling Valerie he cannot go through with it and her demanding to know why, he reveals that he is gay and in search of his own Mr. Right. He decides that all is not lost, and enlists his best friend, Jack to step up as the face of Prince Charming, while Eric will continue to pen the column. Unlucky in love and work, with a trail of broken relationships and dreams in his wake, Jack is reluctant, but wants to help his friend. Despite disliking Valerie from the start, he's shocked when he starts to develop feelings for her and isn't sure if he wants to take the risk to act on them. After his makeover, Valerie too starts to fall for the "face" of Prince Charming. Kauffman's sizzling and sensuous fractured fairytale is a cut above her dismal Cinderella failure, as she redeems herself with this twist on a contemporary prince. But is it just me or are those "godmothers" annoying as heck?

Ms. Kauffman is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. Her stories are witty and fun but at the same time manage to touch on emotions and yes, sometimes even topics that are sometimes left alone. Her latest effort is a must read as far as I'm concerned. The story is character driven and as a result the reader becomes totally envolved with both main and secondary characters. This is the second book in the "Glass Slipper" series but if you missed the first "The Cinderella Rules" fear not, this read is a strong stand alone read. Valerie Wagner knows that she is destined to have a sucessful career in the fashion industry. Problem is the fashion industry is not aware of this. Well, her ship has come in, in the form of publicist for the new up-and coming Glass Slipper magazine! She has managed to land for their very first cover the one and only "Dear Prince Charming" who is a wildly popular advise columnist, that is not only handsome, but he understands women! Everything is set to go and Prince Charming does something that is totally not prince like. Valerie now has to scamble to not only save her brilliant career but also the bacon of Prince Charming. What's a girl to do? Jack Lambert is handsome, reasonably sucessful as an alternative sports writer, and the best friend of Eric aka Prince Charming. The one thing that Jack is not is a prince. Just look at his track record with past relationships! Eric askes him to pose as the "face" of PC and Jack will do anything for Eric after all he saved his life more then once, that is until he takes a look at Valerie. Could she be more uptight, and what's up with his growing attraction for her? She is so not what he normally goes for. Trouble is, she gets to him, and he understands that her job is just as important to her as his friendship with Eric. But can he pull this scam off without risking everything, including his heart? This was a fun fast-paced read that I highly enjoyed. This story is truly more of the "Chick-Lit" genre then full out romance I think. Valerie, Jack, Eric and the Godmothers are wonderful characters and the reader will not be able to fall a little in love with the whole cast! If books that combine love and laughter are your choice of reading material you will love this book. I'm looking forward to Ms. Kauffman's next effort with great anticipation!

The three owners of Glass Slipper Inc. renowned for their life makeovers decide to publish a magazine. They hire failed model-designer Valerie Wagner as the publicist for Glass Slipper Magazine. Valerie pulls off a coup when she obtains the services of highly regarded women's adviser Eric Jermaine, who previously hid his identity as if he were a deep CIA operative. Just a few days before the launch, Eric informs Valerie that he is gay and refuses to hide that anymore. Eric also stuns his best friend, Jack Lambert with the same revelation. Jack loves Eric like a brother and owes him so he agrees to Eric's outlandish ploy that Jack pretends to be the column's author and pose for the pictures. Valerie has doubts, but also goes along with the ruse thinking that the unemployed sports writer is too barbaric to have the sensitivity of Eric. As Jack and Valerie fall in love, she doubts they can forge a permanent relationship. Though Shakespeare would admonish the trio for the web of deceit, fans will appreciate this deep character driven tale. The story line focuses on the typical romance between a man and a woman, but also furbishes a deep look at a gay person seeking his inner self. Though Valerie and Jack are a fine dueling duo, Eric steals the show with his sensitivity and understanding of what makes a relationship work. Unlike our compassionate President and the union Democratic pretender, Eric knows that sexual preference does not necessarily lead to a good or bad relationship; it is two people considering the needs of the other that effect a healthy marriage. Donna Kauffman expands THE CINDERELLA RULES with this deep sequel. Harriet Klausner