Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #347437 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781933110479
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

A Classic in the Making...
WOW!

I started reading this morning and I can't think of a better word to describe how I felt when I closed the last page of this latest book from Georgia Beers this afternoon. I certainly enjoyed her earlier books - 'Thy Neighbors Wife' and 'Turning the Page' - but in 'Too Close to Touch' Beers shows an incredible leap in maturity as a writer. Her earlier books were very good, but this one is incredible.

A brief synopsis... The new boss (Gretchen) and her executive assistant (Kylie) come from very diffferent backgrounds and have a very different approach to life. At 47 and 37, they are both a little older as main characters go. Both are pretty short too -- a point the author mentions throughout the book. They have chemistry from the moment they meet, but both try very hard to respect the invisible line between them due to their working relationship. Little by little, things begin to change and barriers are harder to ignore. We all know it's a romance, but it's watching their relationship ebb and flow that makes this book great.

Much in the style of Radclyffe, Beers does a fantastic job giving these characters history and dimensionality. They have families and pasts. They have friends outside of work. They have lives outside of their fledgling relationship. This type of 3-D view of the characters allows the reader to feel their pains and joys much more acutely than might be possible otherwise.

The tag line "a modern day romance" seems especially appropriate for this book as well. It's becoming more and more common to see women in high-level corporate jobs... and it's really nice to see books written about women who could actually be real. As I read about Gretchen, I was reminded of a friend who holds a similar position at work. It was almost as if Beers used her as a model for this character. I almost expect to see Gretchen and Kylie enter our local bar together.

Three cheers for Beers!

WOW!

A satisfying modern day romance!
In her third novel, Georgia Beers delivers an immensely satisfying story in "a modern day romance," "Too Close to Touch." Warm-hearted Kylie O'Brien seems an unlikely match for tough gal Gretchen Kaiser, but the chemistry between them is undeniable, and the reader becomes readily invested in their future.

Gretchen starts a new job as a Regional Sales Manager at a company that needs her expertise. She relocates from Poughkeepsie to far upstate, Rochester, New York. She does so willingly in hopes of putting some distance between her and her family, among other reasons. On her first Saturday night out, she finds the Black Widow bar, and surprises herself by having a great time with the local lesbians. An overachiever who prides herself on improving the performance of a failing sales force, Gretchen has the reputation of Cruella de Ville, which is fine with her since she's more interested in the bottom line than winning a popularity contest.

There are key ingredients lacking in Gretchen's personal life, but she compensates for it in her professional life, as if achieving one's goals is all that matters. What the woman lacks in height, she more than makes up for in personality. Gretchen competes with the `big boys,' and wins in a man's corporate world by exuding strong leadership and managerial skills. She also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous, and has a well-hidden mushy side beneath her cool exterior. Gretchen has no trouble finding dates, and she prefers casual sex because she's not looking to settle down. Until she meets Kylie. . .

In the love department, Kylie is the complete opposite of Gretchen. She can't get into one-night stands, but rather searches for her one true love. Intelligent, competent, and equipped with excellent social skills, Kylie is an asset to Gretchen as her executive administrative assistant. Kylie knows just what to do and what to say. She is well-liked by all who know her and loved by many. Her attraction to Gretchen may be physical at first, but Kylie finds there's more to her feelings than meets the eye. However, their professional affiliation puts a damper on any chance of a relationship between the two. Kylie turns heads and has on occasion broken hearts with her endearing, bubbly, and charismatic personality.

Kylie's best friend Mick is hot! She's big, in a muscular way. She's butch, and she's jealous of Gretchen for capturing Kylie's heart. Mick loves Kylie, pays her the most adoring compliments, can fix anything, and exudes sex appeal. She's a femme's dream (or worst nightmare) come true. Beers creates an appealing character readers can empathize with on many levels. And Mick adds to the existing conflict between Gretchen and Kylie, resulting in an intriguing triangle with Kylie in the middle.

Beers knows how to generate sexual tension so taut it could be cut with a knife. For example, Kylie says to Gretchen, "Either kiss me right now or stop whatever it is you're doing with your thumb, because it's driving me crazy" (p. 139). Up to that point, the reader is praying Kylie would say that.

What makes "Too Close to Touch" memorable for me is how effective Georgia Beers is in demonstrating the power play between a boss and her subordinates, and especially, how under the right circumstances, and with the right woman, a tough, reserved, private control freak can let go and let a caring and loving woman take charge. Gretchen goes through an enormous growth curve when she figures out what's important in life and she learns that lesson in the last place she expects to, from her father.

Beers weaves a tale of yearning, love, lust, and conflict resolution. She has constructed a believable plot, with strong characters in a charming setting in this well-written and carefully edited book. It's obvious that Beers cares deeply about her characters from the way she portrays their strengths and weaknesses. Readers can't help falling in love with them, too. If you enjoy a romance that leaves you happy and completely sated, don't miss "Too Close to Touch." I look forward to Georgia Beers' next novel "Fresh Tracks" due in November 2006.

Interesting Characters with an Interesting Plot
Gretchen Kaiser is an executive with a new job and a new assistant, Kylie O'Brien. Both women are aware of a mutual attraction, but both women are well aware of the inappropriateness of that attraction.

The author has written an excellent book about an all-too common issue in the workplace. How these two women handle the problems are the meat of this book.

Beers has created two very likable and believable characters that readers will root for them to be together. But she has not shirked the ramifications of what would happen if they have a relationship and (a) someone else found out about it or (b) one of them decides to break it off.

Beers has also written the perfect ending for this book. She has made Gretchen's final decision believable by allowing the reader to glimpse into the thought process that she goes through to come to her decision.

There is even a sub-plot about Kylie and her best friend, Mick, and what happens when a best friend falls in love with her best friend. The reader will ache for Mick.

Overall, a very interesting book with very interesting characters and a plot line seldom seen within the genre.