Contest Book #12

St. Martin's Press has recently re-released Jennifer Crusie's Welcome To Temptation, giving Crusie fans a second chance to enjoy this ridiculously fun, sexy blend of small-town politics, murder, and romantic comedy.

Wedding videographer Sophie Dempsey doesn't like small towns, and Temptation, Ohio is no exception. Sophie and her sister Amy are filming an audition video for a washed-up local actress, and Sophie is determined to finish the movie and hightail it back to Cincinnati before someone starts asking questions about her family's shady past. Unfortunately, Amy keeps making their movie script more risqué, which means the filming is attracting the notice of Temptation's prudish town council—and its highly attractive mayor, Phineas Tucker.

Crusie loves outrageously complicated plots, and keeping track of all the twists and turns in Welcome to Temptation is a tall order. In addition to Sophie's efforts to film ladylike porn, the book abounds with family secrets, blackmail, and murder attempts, some of which, it must be said, make more sense than others. Happily, the love story between Sophie and Phin is perfectly coherent, and the development of their hilarious and genuinely sweet relationship keeps this novel anchored in reality.

[Review based on a publisher-provided copy.]

Labels: Book Reviews, Holiday Contest