Fierce Competition

Interestingly, I read this book to my orchids while nursing them through a severe case of African Choke Moss - a deadly sentient disease that never fails to send them into a grim state of anxiety. By the hundreth page, the flowers seemed to perk up again, reviving their unique trait of dripping chlorobenzene. This was a first in Eastern Iowa. Moreover, Michelle Pillow's narrative seemed to revive my love of shopping, designer labels, and PG-13 sex (Manhatten-style). In a since, Fierce Competition helped me find me again, although without the drainage.

Jane Williams has a dream job as the social coordinator at Harrison & Hart, two great friends and roommates, and a sexy lawyer boyfriend. She is also up to her ears in debt. So much so that she has to "moonlight" as a waitress at a local pizza parlor to make ends meet. A girl has got to pay the bills but she also risks her social credibility. When her rival, Vanessa, finds out about Jane's side job, Jane loses her boyfriend Dean. Payback is a bitch and Jane sets out to steal Vanessa's man. Who cares if she is still in love with Dean as long as she wins? But will Jane lose more in the end? Fierce Competition is an erotic version of Sex and the City. Jane is a successful woman with a shopping addiction. Rather than borrow from her rich friends or boyfriend, she decides to get a job as a waitress. I admired her for taking responsibility rather than leech off her friends. Yet when she thinks she loses her boyfriend Dean, her school girl persona emerges. Rather than deal with him about his feelings, Jane plots her revenge and decides to steal Vanessa's boyfriend. My first thought was to scream, "Oh my goodness girlfriend. Why don't you ask him how he feels about you?" She just assumed that Dean broke up with her, which is just wrong. It was like her maturity level dropped by a few years and she was in high school again. I couldn't understand her logic, but I could empathize with her need to hurt Vanessa as deeply as she was hurt. Dean is a lawyer and a Senator's son. His father believes that it is bad politics to be dating a waitress during an election year. However Dean could care less, because he loves Jane. Besides, he doesn't believe she is a waitress. Through misunderstandings and innuendoes, Dean and Jane wind up alone. I was irritated with Dean because he seemed so easily distracted by sex rather than talking to Jane. He's supposed to be a good talker since he is a lawyer, but instead he acts like a sexaholic. It takes losing Jane to make him see the light. She is more than just a bed partner. She is his life partner. When they finally got serious, their maturity shined through and showed how this whole situation would make them stronger individually, and as a couple, if only they would communicate. All of the secondary characters in Fierce Competition are a hoot, and play a major role in shaping Dean and Jane's relationship. Like all friends, they each have their own opinions, but also have their own personal relationships to deal with. I enjoyed the fact that each of the characters found something unexpected and deeper than anything they had ever experienced before. I really admired how Ms. Pillow interweaves all these different relationships into the story, but never once was I confused or distracted during the transitions. If you enjoy erotic chick-lit, I highly recommend Fierce Competition. Lee Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed