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Activity Partner
Cassie James is an African American single mom who has just about given up on the idea of love. Dr. Ethan Quinn is of English descent, a widower who recently moved from Boston to Chicago with his daughter. Both meet at a tee ball practice, and realize they have a couple of things in common--they're single parents and their social lives are on life support. *** Hitting it off, the two decide to become activity partners--attending each other's events and helping each other out with babysitting when need be. The two become more than friends, and their past begins to haunt them both. Cassie is faced with the prospect of trusting and loving again. Ethan knows about love, and wants to love her, but also has to face the fear of having and losing love.
308 pages, ebook
First published February 20, 2009
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95 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 2, 2010
Cassie James is a single mom and Ethan Quinn is a widower. Having acknowledged how difficult it is to do things as a single parent, the two decide to act as activity partners for school functions for their kids. As they get to know each other and their lives and the lives of kids begin to blend, their friendship starts to grown into something more serious.
This was a sweet book. Very sweet. Almost too sweet at times. I like a bit more edge to my characters. They had no real internal conflict. The book just sorta coasted along. However, that doesn't mean there was no conflict. No, Cassie had a stalker. And there went an entire star for me.
Again, I read a book where a stalker comes out of the woodwork to harass our intrepid heroine so our hero can get protective. I am so over stalkers. Seriously, in the course of my life I have known about 300 women personally and well and not a single one of them has ever had a stalker. They've had bad boyfriends and husbands, they've had awful bosses, they've had female frenemies who'd cut a bitch in no time flat, they've had road ragers who yell at them from the safety of their own cars,-- but not a single stalker in the pile. So why is it that every second book I pick up the heroine has some guy with a big wall of crazy dedicated to her in his basement?
But that aside, this was a pleasant read. I know sometimes it is difficult to find a good IR book that doesn't flow too far over in the erotica area. This one doesn't get at all close. This is a solid friends-to-lovers book with a goodly dose of charming children thrown in.
This was a sweet book. Very sweet. Almost too sweet at times. I like a bit more edge to my characters. They had no real internal conflict. The book just sorta coasted along. However, that doesn't mean there was no conflict. No, Cassie had a stalker. And there went an entire star for me.
Again, I read a book where a stalker comes out of the woodwork to harass our intrepid heroine so our hero can get protective. I am so over stalkers. Seriously, in the course of my life I have known about 300 women personally and well and not a single one of them has ever had a stalker. They've had bad boyfriends and husbands, they've had awful bosses, they've had female frenemies who'd cut a bitch in no time flat, they've had road ragers who yell at them from the safety of their own cars,-- but not a single stalker in the pile. So why is it that every second book I pick up the heroine has some guy with a big wall of crazy dedicated to her in his basement?
But that aside, this was a pleasant read. I know sometimes it is difficult to find a good IR book that doesn't flow too far over in the erotica area. This one doesn't get at all close. This is a solid friends-to-lovers book with a goodly dose of charming children thrown in.
March 17, 2010
What a charming book! I really enjoyed this debut contemporary romance novel from author Nitanni Chionne. The story centers around Cassie James and Dr. Ethan Quinn, both single parents who have been struck by loss, hardship, difficult times in life and love. Once they meet during one of the T-ball games were Cassie is the coach......They soon decide to be each other's activity partner to parent activities at school functions. Soon friendship turns to more as their attraction grows.
May 17, 2010
As stated by other reviewers this is DEFINITELY a SWEET and CHARMING debut...the friendship turn romance between Cassie and Ethan is simply BEAUTIFUL...and the kids are ADORABLE...I enjoy the full cast of characters and MOST of the storyline (some things I could have done without) that being said, it's still an ENTERTAINING romantic treat, despite the editing and/or typos. And I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Chionne's work.
May 19, 2009
What a charming book! I really enjoyed this debut contemporary romance novel from author Nitanni Chionne. The story centers around Cassie James and Dr. Ethan Quinn, both single parents who have been struck by loss, hardship, difficult times in life and love. Once they meet during one of the game Cassie coaches at they soon decide to be each other's activity partner to parent activities at school functions. Soon friendship turns to more as their attraction grows.
I really liked this book because it chronicles the progression of strangers turning into friends and the slow burn of romance blossoming. Most romances today go straight for the attraction, leaving only a little bit of time to built it as sexual tension corners each page. In Activity Partner, the focus is on the characters as they take time to dip back into romance. And when they finally do give in, it's a great reward for the characters and the reader after all they had fought for in their lives.
There's a side of suspense in that Cassie, our heroine, is being stalked at the club she sings at and although the reader may or may not have an idea who the culprit is early on, their commupance is rewarding in the climax of the book.
One teensy gripe I have is the action moves a bit fast in some of the descriptions. Sometimes events are described in a short sentence and I would have loved to have seen it play out a little more to build a sense of time passing. But it was just in a few instances and didn't deter my overall enjoyment of the story.
Nevertheless, I'll be adding Activity Partner to my virtual shelf and hope that a paperback comes available. In the mean time I'm definitely adding Ms. Chionne as an author to watch so I can check out more of her writing.
If you're looking for an uplifting fun beach read, definitely add this to your favorite eReader, sit back and enjoy!
I really liked this book because it chronicles the progression of strangers turning into friends and the slow burn of romance blossoming. Most romances today go straight for the attraction, leaving only a little bit of time to built it as sexual tension corners each page. In Activity Partner, the focus is on the characters as they take time to dip back into romance. And when they finally do give in, it's a great reward for the characters and the reader after all they had fought for in their lives.
There's a side of suspense in that Cassie, our heroine, is being stalked at the club she sings at and although the reader may or may not have an idea who the culprit is early on, their commupance is rewarding in the climax of the book.
One teensy gripe I have is the action moves a bit fast in some of the descriptions. Sometimes events are described in a short sentence and I would have loved to have seen it play out a little more to build a sense of time passing. But it was just in a few instances and didn't deter my overall enjoyment of the story.
Nevertheless, I'll be adding Activity Partner to my virtual shelf and hope that a paperback comes available. In the mean time I'm definitely adding Ms. Chionne as an author to watch so I can check out more of her writing.
If you're looking for an uplifting fun beach read, definitely add this to your favorite eReader, sit back and enjoy!
August 10, 2012
I really wanted to like this. It had such a great premise: single, black mom doing it for herself meets a British widower who also happens to be a responsible dad and a doctor to boon. But at 14% of the eBook, I'm out.
The writing was pedestrian in that I felt walked through each scene and shown everything and everyone in the room when all I needed was the key details of the setting and to be introduced only to the characters who actually mattered to the plot. I was overwhelmed.
And then, there were two plots going on. The first, which is what drew me to the book, was the idea of these two parents becoming activity partners to stave off the loneliness in a crowd of marrieds. But as soon as that arrangement was agreed to, we twist into another plot of the heroine wanting to win a karaoke contest that she had to drop out of last year because she was being stalked and now needed the hero to be her pretend boyfriend so the stalker would leave her alone, and the hero (a doctor mind you) starts looking at all the men checking her out and deducing whether or not they're the culprit. That's when I quit.
I really wish Chionne had simply stuck with the activity partner angle and explored all the crazy and hilarious adventures single parents go through for their kids, and how love can be found on the tball field amongst two, hovering helicopter parents.
The writing was pedestrian in that I felt walked through each scene and shown everything and everyone in the room when all I needed was the key details of the setting and to be introduced only to the characters who actually mattered to the plot. I was overwhelmed.
And then, there were two plots going on. The first, which is what drew me to the book, was the idea of these two parents becoming activity partners to stave off the loneliness in a crowd of marrieds. But as soon as that arrangement was agreed to, we twist into another plot of the heroine wanting to win a karaoke contest that she had to drop out of last year because she was being stalked and now needed the hero to be her pretend boyfriend so the stalker would leave her alone, and the hero (a doctor mind you) starts looking at all the men checking her out and deducing whether or not they're the culprit. That's when I quit.
I really wish Chionne had simply stuck with the activity partner angle and explored all the crazy and hilarious adventures single parents go through for their kids, and how love can be found on the tball field amongst two, hovering helicopter parents.
February 14, 2012
This is a sweet story which I enjoyed very much. Cassandra and Ethan as well as the kids were endearing. I loved how the author built their relationship slowly, increasing the sexual tension between them bit by bit. They meet when Ethan signs his daughter up for tee ball and Cassandra is the coach. Ethan is at first rather stiff while Cassie is warm and friendly. Benji asks Lizzie to come to his house for dinner and even though Ethan does not want to impose he goes. That's when Cassie finds out that Ethan is new in town and she comes up with the idea that they could be each others activity partner. If Ethan had a dinner to attend Cassie would go with him so that he wouldn't have to go alone. If the kids had an event at school, they would go together. I don't want to say to much because I don't want to take away from your enjoyment of the book. What I can say is that you will enjoy this book, and I hope Nitanni Chionne comes out with another soon.
July 25, 2011
I can understand how Cassie feels, If you have had your heart ripped out, you just don't jump into lobve so easily, and beside she had her son to think of also, when you start dating someone, and if you have kids the guy/girl is gonna be included in that childs life,
Ethan's dad was a total jerk, but loved his mom she was sweet.
August 30, 2016
Adorable, simply adorable!
July 2, 2011
3.5 STARS. Wonderful read, but it definitely had a lot going on in terms of the plot. I'll be sending this as a recommendation to several friends.
January 9, 2012
i loveed it
May 1, 2015
Such a wonderful, dare I say perfect romance novel!
Recommended to fans of Romance, especially if you like them with a side of cute babies <3
Recommended to fans of Romance, especially if you like them with a side of cute babies <3
September 5, 2012
Very good sweet romance book. Loved all the characters.
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