| Title | : | Getting Rid of Bradley |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1551668653 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781551668659 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 248 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1994 |
| Awards | : | RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Best Short Contemporary Series Romance (1995) |
When her sister takes her to lunch to celebrate Lucy's single status, all their talk of a no-good louse named Bradley catches the attention of a cop--who wants to arrest the very same Bradley for embezzlement. And Officer Zack Warren figures the lovely Lucy can lead him straight to his target.
When someone shoots at Lucy and then blows up her car, Zack insists she needs twenty-four-hour protection. What does he think her three dogs and attack cat are for? Still, he insists on moving right in to Lucy's house...
Now there's danger lurking outside and in her own kitchen, bathroom--and bedroom. Or maybe Zack, who looks like a bad boy with that shaggy dark hair and black leather jacket, is really one of the good guys, and just what Lucy needs.
Getting Rid of Bradley Reviews
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Funny,entertaining and fast paced Getting rid of Bradley is an ideal weekend read,that reminds you that its ok,to not always be logical in life.
Even though the plot dragged a bit in the beginning,I' 0m glad it found its way and picked up halfway before finally ending with a 'BANG'.
Lucy and Zack,damn those two are just too adorable together. ♥ But to be honest I adored Zack best !
I loved the way he just embraced the fact he was in love instead of making it angsty for both of them.
Recommendations:
Would I recommend it ? - YES ! Defiantly ..especially if your a KA fan like me. *wink wink* -
I had a hard time getting into this one. It seemed to drag and the green moss colored hair on Lucy?? Loved her dogs!!
It was funny and I really loved Zack. Not a favorite of mine by JC. -
3 ☆
Getting Rid of Bradley is a screwball mystery that has a slow wind-up before culminating with zany action. Author Crusie is not generally known for her mysteries but I believe fans of cozy mysteries with a comedic romance will enjoy this.
Police officers Zack Warren and Anthony Taylor are hot on the trail of an embezzler named Bradley. They've received a phone tip that their suspect will appear at a dive diner and they stake the location.
While inside, scruffy Zack catches the eye of Lucy Savage. To celebrate her new divorce decree, Lucy and her sister Tina are eating at the very same diner. Lucy had found her husband Bradley and another woman in their home and divorced him at her sister's urging. But Lucy wants closure, and Bradley had left her a message that he'd be at that eatery despite skipping that day's court appearance.
Hmm, are the two Bradleys the very same person?
After overhearing the two siblings say "Bradley," Zack follows Lucy out of the diner. She thinks that she's being mugged while Zack is throwing her down to avoid gunfire. And so things begin because Zack is convinced Lucy needs protection from the Bradley threat. Zack has "instincts."
“Who’s Matthews?” Zack asked.
“The tall blond one you keep calling Junior,” Anthony said. “Stop doing that, by the way. It annoys him. Anyway, he’s young, strong, and he’s got 20/20 vision. Happy?”
“No.” Zack searched for a good reason why. “He’s young. He’s new. He doesn’t know...”
“Great,” Anthony said, a savage edge creeping into his voice. “You want somebody not too old, not too young, who knows. That leaves us with a middle-aged cop with experience. The only one of those is you. Are you volunteering?”
Yep, Zack also has a bit of an attitude because he's depressed about his age - the very advanced age of 36.
You know who you remind me of? The kid cop in Lethal Weapon 3. You know, the one who says, 'it's my twenty-first birthday today', and right away you know he's dead meat?
But Lucy doesn't regard herself as damsel in distress. She's a high school physics teacher who has rescued three dogs she's named after prominent scientists and who lives in a big rambling Victorian house with brand new heavy duty locks. She does not take well to Zack's orders, but she can handle him.
There never were any women who liked to cook for men everyday. There were only women who cooked for survival and pretended to like it. And now there are men who cook for survival. Like you. Think of this as survivalist training. Very macho.
Getting Rid of Bradley improved with each chapter and offered lighthearted fun. -
When I woke up this morning, I was in the mood for something fun...and funny. So I picked up "Getting Rid of Bradley" by Jennifer Crusie. Originally published as a Harlequin Blaze in 1994, this story is one of her earlier ones. But is one of her funniest in my opinion.
Poor Lucy isn't having a good year. Her ex couldn't even be bothered to show up for the divorce, she beats up a mugger only to find out he's a cop, her efforts to change her life via hair dye have resulted in a strange, moss-green color, and apparently someone's trying to kill her! How did a quiet science teacher who's a little spacey and decided to marry based on the second law of thermodynamics end up in this mess?
Zack is a cop who doesn't want to grow up. He's a bundle of energy and allergic to maturity. But his instincts are always right. And his instincts are telling him that the lady with the funky hair who he LET hit him is somehow involved in his case. His instincts are also telling him that there's NO WAY IN HELL he's going to let anyone else protect her. What? Did he just say that?
Zany, funny, laugh-out-loud romance. If you need a pick-me-up, then pick this book up. You won't be sorry. -
I love this book. I love hating Bradley cause he is a putz, I love Zach the H cause he is hot, I love the dogs cause they are dogs and I love Lucy the h cause I too have died my hair green accidentally.
This is a hilarious story of the aftereffects of one woman's divorce from Bradley who she only married for a great victorian house, although she though she loved him at the time.
My favorite line is Lucy's response with Zack asks what happened to women who liked to cook for men everyday-- she says:
"There never were any women who liked to cook for men everyday. There were only women who cooked for survival and pretended to like it. And now there are men who cook for survival. Like you. Think of this as survivalist training. Very macho."
I think I will reserve this line for the next time my husband complains about Captain Crunch for dinner. -
3.5
This was adorable - the characters, their behaviour, the relationships.
Most of what's in the book is in the actual book summary, so there aren't many surprises, but you'll probably spend your time loving the characters. I mean, their first encounter is one big misunderstanding and involves a heavy physics book as a weapon.
A bonus: she has three adorable dogs, one of which likes to play a game and won't move until you participate.
Another bonus: I have a younger sister and how much Tina and Lucy love each other is beyond relatable even if one of them is kind of pushy.
The hero is also wonderful.
The other side is sufficiently bad, but it serves just as a background. What happens to Lucy throughout the story needs a lot of suspension of disbelief on your part, but it's worth it if you need something light to read. -
I have most Crusie books firmly on my keeper shelf, but it has been far too long since I've read them.
This is an oldie re-released and I loved it. Stayed up till 1am because I couldn't put it down.
Absolutely adore her unique voice, which makes any plot believable and fun.
Recommend! -
If I was forced to choose a favorite brand of movie or book it would be this kind. I love a good romantic comedy! Jennifer Crusie writes some of the best and this book is one of those.
Our heroine has walked away from an experiment gone wrong. Her marriage. As a logical person she thought love could come after the wedding, but wasn't exactly as happy as she had hoped to be. So when she discovered her husband and his 'girlfriend' together she tossed him out the door. Her sister made sure he stayed out.
Our hero is a cop that moves on instinct. His instinct is always right and this time its telling him that the pretty woman who mentions Bradley is discussing the criminal he is looking for. Even when he discovers the two Bradley's aren't the same he still thinks she is in danger and there is a link. Meanwhile our heroes' partner works a little cupid action and puts the two together as often as possible.
An adorable book that is fun to read. There is romance and comedy. What more could you ask for?
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Another terrific book by Jennifer Crusie. Each of her heroes and heroines is different from the other books, but there is a similar theme of learning to find your best place in the world. The dialogue is hilariously funny, but genuine at the same time. I would like to hang out with these people! In this book we have an aging (later 30's) rebel cop and a newly-divorced, eccentric physics teacher. And maybe someone is trying to kill her! A really, really good book!
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This was a 3.5 stars generously rounded for... reasons...
An early Crusie (an author note at the beginning says it's her second), her skill is already in good form. Zack was a bit standard romantic hero material with a bit of mid-life crisis thrown in to keep him interesting—a little bossy for my taste and with a few quirks I had a hard time getting over. The book is made with Lucy. She's just a fun character with her refusal to give in to the demands of others that skirted the edge of TSTL without actually invoking it even a little bit. I know that sounds strange, but trust me, it never feels like she's being stupid even when on any other character it would. I think this is early evidence of what I find so engaging with Crusie's work—the characters are just so well done that you never suspect that they are being manipulated by the author for the sake of the story (because they aren't).
A note about Steamy: Really light, but enough to tag. One explicit scene and some explicit flirty dialogue. -
This is a 5 star short category romance, and a 3 star novel. Likable H/h, good secondary characters, and nicely done funny banter. Very well written, it is no surprise Crusie went on to write bonafide women's fiction. Great choice if you want a nice romance you can read in a day with a little mystery and danger thrown in.
-
Getting Rid of Bradley is my second-ever Crusie, and wow, just wow. What a banter queen! Crusie really knows how to grip your throat from the opening passages, and has a way with repetitive sentences that call back to previous events and jokes that make a rom-com just sing. Truly unmatched so far in any contemporary romance I've read, and definitely worth a study.
these two are so perfect for one another and i just had to giggle at the madcap antics leading this grumpy, aging investigator to this horribly hair-dyed science teacher and her pack of dogs, and her beautiful old house that is begging to be their home, together.
**i will note that this is from 1994. that said a reference to a confederate uniform being used as a quit square and some older language choices (i.e. who cares if he says no, do it anyway) might upset, so i wanted to make note of that. -
The beginning of the book had me thinking this was going to be a zany story. There was a lot of screwball humor.
Crusie seems to be setting up a great story with two characters that seem different from anything I have read before.
Love how Lucy keeps saying "sorry I beat you up" and Zach keeps getting more and more exasperated saying "you did not beat me up, besides I wasn't defending myself because I didn't want to hurt you". Oh by the way Zach is very macho, alpha but with a sensitive side (is that possible?), well at least when it comes to dogs.
Love the line of how Lucy blushed so hard she almost passed out, hahah been there!Haha when Zach yells at Lucy for leaving the house he says "I thought somebody had grabbed you. I thought I was going to have to raise your damn dogs.." Such a great line for this book and the characters.
Oh I loved the part where Zach proposes again and says "the dogs need a father and that hell they're just boys and need a male figure around" so cute and funny.The storyline of Lucy's ex-husband and a friend of his from highschool and Zach chasing John Bradley (friend from highschool) and Bradley Porter (Lucy's ex) had some confusing moments and wasn't really that interesting. I felt the author could have done a better job of getting Zach the cop with Lucy.
I have seen this book on a lot of list for being one of the best romance books, but frankly I just felt it was mediocre. Zach and Lucy were some what immature characters to me, usually that doesn't seem to even enter into my frame of reference when I am reading a book but I noticed it this time for some reason. I did enjoy the bickering, no wait maybe I want to say witty exchanges Zach and Lucy had back and forth. I needed more from this book, more from the characters somehow. If you aren't a serious dog lover, I don't even know if you would like this book. Anyway some funny moments, but this book definitely won't be sticking around in mind.
B- -
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
On my way to conquer all Jennifer Crusie's books!
I've been recommended the great
Bet Me the other day and I am slowly making my way up through Ms Crusie's books.
I really liked this one, I enjoyed the banter, the secondary characters, the comic situations...
The heroine, Lucy is a complete freak, a nut, a nerd, she acted pretty stupid at some times but maybe I overlooked it because of her relationship with her stubborn and sexy as hell cop, Zach.
I loved the whole hair obsession/drama!
And if you are a dog lover, you'll love Lucy! Best Mom, ever!
Wrap it all up with mystery, make the cop live with heroine with the excuse of protecting her and you'll have an entertaining read!
-
Getting Rid Of Bradley is a standalone novel from author
Jennifer Crusie. I've read some great chick-lit books that have successfully lifted my mood and made me laugh out loud in public. That's why chick-lit (with plenty of romance and humor) is a favorite genre of mine. It's not remotely realistic so the reader still gets that "escape into a book" experience but the humor just does wonders for the soul.
Getting Rid Of Bradley won't likely ever make my list of top ten chick-lits but it did the job well enough. I liked the mystery and suspense element added to this story. It gave this title that little nudge that made it unique and a fresh reading experience. I absolutely loved the first
Jennifer Crusie book I read:
Bet Me and I will continue reading Ms. Crusie's books to see if she has any more stories that can be added to my top ten! -
When I read this book I was looking forward to a good laugh as all the reviews indicated it was quite hilarious. Unfortunately, I seem to have missed all of the punch lines. Although this book was silly, and I don’t mind a fun and silly read, I don’t know that the romantic plot line was intended to be so ridiculous. I can suspend belief for a good thriller or adventure story, but found it to be more difficult to do throughout the entire course of the characters relationship development. I’ve never rolled my eyes so many times while reading a book.
Then we have the heroine who was so boring that the only interesting things to recommend her was the continuous struggles with getting her hair color right and the fact that she had a small pack of dogs. Beyond that I couldn’t tell you much about her other than the fact that, even in her mid thirties, she is quite naive and stupid. I know the hero is supposed to appealing and normally I can enjoy a good alpha male that’s rough around the edges, but like the heroine he was devoid of any kind of interesting personality and had the mind of a juvenile.
The only redeeming thing about this story for me were the dogs, but I am a dog lover so that is to be expected. They were cute and fun to read about and I was even amused by the terrorizing cat, Phoebe. For that reason, I rated this book two stars instead of one. -
Not bad, but not as good as the author's other books.
Something was repetitive and a little boring about the conversations during the first third of the book. This was one of the author's first books and it wasn't as good as her later books. I was annoyed that Lucy kept saying she didn't believe she was being shot at and that she was in danger, even though a bullet hit her cheek, and a bomb went off in her car. She went out for a jog and to a beauty parlor when she should have stayed home where she had police protection. There were a few humorous lines, but I'd recommend skipping this book unless you're a die-hard Crusie fan. It was ok, but not what I was used to from her.
DATA:
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one. Setting: current day U.S. Copyright: 1994. Genre: mystery romance. -
What a hilariously funny and entertaining book!
It is really rare for me to have such a fun cleaning my house ;-) but I have a big fun thanks to this one. And then I went for a walk with my dog and I kept hiding my face because I was constantly smiling and I was sure people who passed me would have thought there was something wrong with me ;-)
I can't tell how much joy I have thank to the book and how much I owe it to Elenna Stauffer who read it - she did it perfectly.
Jennifer Crusie goes (finally, this was her fourth novel I have read) to my favourite writers. -
I have read most of Jennifer Cruisie's books but this is definitely my favourites. I adore the relationship between Lucy and Zack - they made such a sweet and funny couple.
This is the sort of book that you can curl up with and easily finish in an afternoon. Pick a drizzly day, make a cup of coffee (or tea - do feel free to improvise), snuggle up on the sofa and lose yourself in the lovely world of Getting Rid Of Bradley. -
I am pretty sure that I read this before, but I wanted a low key read and this qualified.
-
I have so much love for this book. It's been a favorite of mine for at least 15 years, and I still love reading it. It never grows old and I never tire of revisiting it. :-)
I don't know how many times I've read this book - and I can't remember when I bought it - but I always laugh and cry in the same places and at the same lines. :-) I last read it in January or February (February 16ish?) of 2015. I'm finally reviewing it after my umpteenth reading on March 26, 2016. I'll share a few of the lines I love in a bit. [Added June 5, 2019, after my most recent reread.] But first. . .
I love this book because Zack is hot and Lucy is sweet. Zack is also vulnerable and Lucy has a mean streak, which I love, too. :-) This is not the only
Jennifer Crusie book among my favorites, but it is the one I return to the most. I love the suspense in it: Zack and his partner, Anthony, are after an embezzler and there's something in Lucy's house that this criminal wants. Anthony does a bit of matchmaking and so Zack moves in to protect Lucy. I love Anthony. I love Lucy's sister, Tina. I love Lucy and Zack. And I love Lucy's dogs: Einstein, Heisenberg, and Maxwell. :-)
One of the lines that always makes me laugh is said by Tina, when she and Lucy are at Harvey's Diner after Lucy's divorce:"You are going to get rid of his name, aren't you?" Tina asked. "Lucy Savage Porter always sounded like you'd married a rabid bellboy."
LOL!!! :-) (This scene can be found on page 14.)
Another line that always make me laugh is later in the story, on page 189: Lucy and Zack are comfortable together and Zack is learning to cook. :-) Anthony comes over with news and Zack asks if he's cooking for three. Anthony says, "This is eerie. It's like the Night of the Living Yuppies." And Lucy replies, "Watch your mouth. We never Yup." LOL!!! :-)
Page 195 has one of the many reasons for why I love Tina: "Don't put me in pink for the wedding. I hate pink." :-)
And in Chapter Ten is a scene I always - but always - cry over: At the end of Chapter Nine, Zack discovers a stray mongrel on a street in Overlook. He takes the dog home to Lucy. At the beginning of Chapter Ten (on page 200), Zack introduces Lucy to the dog. It's love at first sight on both Lucy's part and that of the dog. Lucy tries not to cry. So I cry for her. It's just so beautiful and such a touching moment. :-)
From there, we move on toward the end, which always leaves me with a big smile. :-)
At the end: :-)
Again (and lastly), I really love this book. It's a quick, easy read, which makes it my go-to read for those times when I'm having a really bad panic/anxiety attack. It's also a book I love to reread every once in a random while, and probably once a year at least on average. I have a lot of love for
Jennifer Crusie's storytelling, but this story will forever always be my most favorite favorite of hers, because I laugh at, cry over, and just plain LOVE sooo many lines and scenes in it. :-) -
Reading this was pure joy. And to think I was almost ready to throw in the towel over romance. I'm glad I gave the genre another chance.
Lucy Savage finds her life threatened when her ex-husband Bradley is involved in an embezzlement case. Luckily for her, the rough but competent cop Zack Warren steps up the plate to protect her. As expected from a romance novel, the physical attraction is instantaneous, but what's remarkable about it is that the characters willfully fight against it and keep their hands off each other for more than half the book. It's great because Lucy and Zack actually get to know each other better, the sexual tension builds up, and it's more believable than ending up in bed with no preliminary (sadly, an all-too-common occurrence in romance fiction).
Lucy and Zack's personalities provide a source of both conflict and comedy. She's a physics teacher, highly logical, loves her house and her 3 dogs, and wants to be independent. He's a cop who relies on his instincts, undomesticated, and his over-protectiveness stifles Lucy's wish to be independent (he's overprotective for good reason-- there have been numerous threats to Lucy's life). They're both afraid of commitment.
More than the plot itself, what endeared this book to me is the dynamics between characters. It's most evident between Lucy and Zack, but it also extends to the side characters and even the dogs. Jennifer Crusie's novel is character-driven and I loved seeing her characters interact. It was a constant source of comedy. My copy is full of highlighter markings because the dialogue was just too good and funny to pass up.
While I generally don't trust book blurbs, I totally agree with this one from Kirkus Reviews in the back cover:
Crusie seems incapable of writing a boring page, or one that's not aglow.
The story isn't perfect as I saw a number of loopholes and I found the upbeat pacing a bit too fast for my taste. I also had to (willingly) suspend my disbelief a few times. But the silly grin on my face the whole time I was reading this book more than made up for its faults. In fact, even with all its shortcomings, I find it better plotted than 90% of the romance books I've read.
It took me nearly a year of searching, but I finally found the perfect blend of romance and comedy in Jennifer Crusie. I'm glad she has a dozen other books for me to read -- and this one isn't even her highest-rated book!
A dazzling 4 stars =D
***************************************************************
Tintin's Notes to Self:
* OMG Zack's personality is almost exactly like Leon's! They're both cops, they both rely on their guts, they're sloppy and rough around the edges but have a big heart inside. And Lucy isn't D, but she's a dog lover so she's similar to D in that respect.
* Reread this book and learn from the pure awesomeness of Crusie's dialogue.
* The love scenes are tender and passionate without being explicit (hmmm, could learn from that!). -
I've read a few Jennifer Crusie books and consider myself a fan, however this book I found disappointing. My caveat is, it's my understanding that this is one of her earlier books, one written before she had perfected her craft to the level it is now. That being said, this book was so disappointing I almost put it down.
The problem? Well while it did have some humurous moments, Lucy was so stupid she was almost unendurable. She seemed to have no logic, Crusie, tried to put the reader inside of Lucy's mind to better understand her, but who would want to be in the mind of such a twit. What reasonable person would doubt a police officer when they were told their life was in danger? What reasonable person would resist the police department's attempts to keep them safe. Yep, Lucy was a nuisance.
You can see in this book the beginnings of what Crusie does so well, which is to bring humor to her characters while making them relatable and realistic. This book was more of an unpolished version of her later work, there were parts that were so farfetched I was too exasperated to suspend disbelief to enjoy them. Lucy wasn't so much funny as annoying as hell and she certainly wasn't relatable or realistic.
The good news, Crusie does a much better job in other books in refining her characters so they seem much more three dimensional. I would reccomend anyone looking for a good Jennifer Crusie book to check out BET ME.
STATS:
EBook Pages: 144
Genere: Humous, Suspense Romance
Steam Factor: WARM -
You know one thing I've noticed that the books by this author are really unconventional yet funny and romantic and this one was no less, we have a cop hero who is kind of down and thinks he is getting older and getting married is death, then he meets the just divorced heroine who actually clobbers him thinking he is a mugger.
The heroine is a teacher who got married because she felt it was time and when she saw her husband with another woman, threw him out in part due to her sister and now has dyed her hair and decided to be happy with her wonderful house and dogs. She finds out that the hero thinks her life is in danger but she tells him her ex is boring and not violent and not an embezzler as he suspects.
Before he knows it, he is living in her house under the guise of protecting her, falling for her, learning cooking and playing with her dogs, hell he even proposes to her after only a few days and when she refuses plans on how to make her say yes. He joins the craziness and even gets her a dog, all the while his partner is just flabbergasted with the changes in him.
I just loved the romance and even the suspense part. -
There was literally nothing about this that I liked. I finished only because it got picked for me and I forced myself to, but really, it was a struggle. It has to be one of those "it's not you, it's me" books though, since everyone else on my GR list has given this at least 4 stars.
And I'm just sitting here, stupidly blinking and looking around wondering what I missed. Or if I even read the same book.
I feel like I lucked out with Bet Me being the first Jennifer Crusie that I ever read all those years ago, because the ones I've read since have not been my cup of tea at all. -
Another fun book by Jennifer Crusie!
In this book we have Lucy - a gal who is trying to turn her life around but somehow everything just explodes on her. She goes to court to divorce her hubby (That would be Bradley) and he doesn't even bother to show. She decides she needs to color her hair to make herself feel better and it turns out green. Oh - and someone is trying to kill her. Yeah. Not a great week for out poor Lucy. Lucky for her Zack the yummy cop is there to protect her! -
Really enjoyed this. It's light. It's fluff. And it is funny as could be. The book doesn't take itself too seriously and is good for a bunch of laughs to boot. Not as steamy as I normally like but it makes up for it in many other ways.
-
It took me a while to get into it, but in the end I liked it quite a bit. A fun, fluffy, light read.
3.5 stars. -
Silly, cute, sexy, and funny. Reminds me of “One for the Money” by Janet Evanovich.
-
After this book, l thought myself how Jennifer Crusie doesn't have enough reader.
She is definitely very talented writer and her protagonists are so peculiar and yet at the same time very stereotype.
All the things happen in a couple for weeks which is too fast for my taste to develop a romantic relationship between main characters. But author did so well job with lots of hilarious moments and some curiosity about the crime part, it didn't bother me at all.
Hero was wonderful with his arrogance and anxious about getting old. Lucy is a kind of nutcase and l loved the reason she got married with Bradley. :)
I admire author's ability create so different characters and to put them together to build so enjoyable story.
