Hot Off the Press

Tess Elliot and Mike Grundel are movie reviewers for rival newspapers and from opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum. Tess is from a wealthy, socially prominent family but she's trying hard to make it on her own. She's living on her humble journalist's salary and paying her dues in the hopes that one day she'll be covering hard news. Mike comes from the wrong side of the tracks and grew up poor, raised by his alcoholic father. He used to cover hard news, but when a source choked on him on a story involving local corruption, he was bumped down to movie reviews. He's lucky he didn't lose his job altogether since he seriously pissed off a very powerful local businessman. Mike still dreams of nailing Ty Cadman and he continues secretly working the story on his own time. Once he's exposed Cadman and restored his professional reputation, he's out of this small backwater town for good.In the meantime, he loves to tease Tess, to whom he is extremely attracted but refuses to act on his attraction to her. She's like Grace Kelly to him, cool, beautiful and unattainable, and to her annoyance he's always calling her "Princess". Why won't he take her seriously? They trade barbs back and forth like Tracey and Hepburn and their rivalry is fun to watch. When they both stumble onto some new information about Ty Cadman's latest business venture, they wind up working together to pool sources and connections. He's got the street connections and she's got access to the same social circles Cadman travels in and that Mike could never get. All this time spent together makes it increasingly hard to suppress their strong mutual attraction. They begin an affair and since they already liked one another, feelings are not far behind. But once the story is done, will the relationship remain?Another terrific read from Ms Warren - she has yet to disappoint me. Mike and Tess are both likeable characters and their romance is steamy and fun to watch. Highly recommended!

This is a great book written in what I have come to appreciate as Nancy Warren's quirky, fun and sexy style. I was laughing by the end of page one. A definite must-read for anyone with a sense of humour.

I'm becoming a huge fan of Nancy Warren. Hot off the Press brims with her usual wit and sizzles with the kind of hot stuff fans like me have come to expect from her. The newspaper setting is really well detailed and the characters are some of her best yet. Well done. Highly recommend this!

Romantic Times BookClub gave this book 4 stars, and it deserves every one of them! "Bad boy" reporter Mike Grundel thinks his fledgling colleague at the competing newspaper is a "princess," coasting on her father's connections. But in fact Tess Elliot is determined to make it on her own, just as Mike is determined to recapture his good name as a serious reporter. Right now, though, both of them are stuck as movie reviewers - and the good/bad news about that is that they have to attend the same movies. At first the bad boy and the princess think they're polar opposites (and this is confirmed by the movie review snippets that begin each chapter) - and they're annoyed that the chemistry between them is so sizzling. When they both uncover leads on the same high-profile story, they decide to work together, and that [fascinating] chemistry is impossible to resist. They become lovers even though Mike's not interested in commitment, and is hung up on his "wrong side of the tracks" background. Mike, with his long hair, earring, and motorcycle (no, he doesn't look anything like the guy on the cover of the book - he's much more attractive!), is the bad boy every good girl goes crazy for, plus he proves himself to be considerate and caring as well as [fascinating]. Tess, with her Grace Kelly looks and style, her intelligence and drive, is the perfect match for him. Their snappy repartee is great fun, and it's a joy to watch their relationship develop into something deeper - and to see Mike finally come to terms with what he really wants out of his life: a future with the woman he loves.

Working for competing papers, movie reviewers Tess Elliot and Mike Grundel have little in common. She enjoys intellectual films while he prefers action adventure with plenty of mayhem. She was born with a silver spoon while he survived poverty. But they have one thing in common; both are driven to prove themselves, if for diverse reasons. She wants to earn her credentials, not rely on her wealth and social position. He wants to move back to hard news after a demotion following a story gone wrong. Both get their opportunity when Mike bets Tess that he will have a front-page story before she will. Tess intends to see Mike eat crow, but their competition transforms into collaboration when they need to share resources and insight to prove a local developer has other plans for a bald eagle habitat. They both risk their careers, as the developer has already proven he will destroy anyone who gets in their way. Moreover, working together makes it challenging to control the attraction they have both been determined to ignore. Film, both classic and contemporary, becomes a fascinating theme in HOT OFF THE PRESS. With her characteristic flair, author Nancy Warren creates wonderful characterizations filled with witty banter and heated attraction. An underlying serious plot, vividly realized secondary characters and provocative clashes combine to make HOT OFF THE PRESS heated entertainment. Indeed, readers who come to expect sizzling story lines and amusing clashes won't be disappointed. HOT OFF THE PRESS comes highly recommended.