Flirting with Temptation

Kelley St. John

Babette has been broken up with Jeff for a year but she still misses him. He had gotten engaged since their break up but he has since broken the engagement again. Babette has started her own business as a "Love Doctor". She helps couples get back together when they've had problems. She has been doing well in Birmingham. Now she's in a quandary. Jeff's ex-fiancee, Kitty Carelle, has hired her to get back together with Jeff.

Babette wants to prove that she has become steadier and can succeed at this. Plus Kitty is offering an extra large fee if she succeeds. Babette needs the money. She needs the self respect. But she isn't sure she wants to get them back together. She realizes she is in love with Jeff herself. She heads down to his home on the beach in Destin, Florida.

When she finally faces up to Jeff, he refuses to talk with Kitty. Babette tries different methods to convince him. But Jeff doesn't believe women can commit. So he gives Babette a challenge. If she doesn't flirt with anyone for a week, he'll talk to Kitty. The Babette he knew couldn't have won the challenge, Can this older, more confident Babette win? And in so doing, will she lose Jeff?

Hurray for the trashy romance, which Flirting With Temptation is. Many scenes in the book are just background noise for the hot sex scenes. That's a shame. Because about half way through the book I realized that underneath the fluff, Kelley St. John had some interesting characters in her romance novel. There's the major romantic triangle between Babette, Jeff, and Kitty. There's also a side story of her grandmother who is finally ready to move on after her grandfather's death. It's a charmer.

The character development comes together about three quarters of the way through the book when Babette joins a bikini contest at Jeff's urging. That's when we get to see a glimpse of what St. John can do when she works with characters, not just romantic, sexy fun. I'm looking forward to reading her novels in another ten years or so, when she's established herself enough she can tone down the sex scenes. Don't expect anything great in Flirting With Temptation but you'll see some glimpses that will leave you wanting more Kelley St. John.

Notice:  Explicit sexual content

(Did I say trashy romance novel? According to the author's web site, this book was selected as a Cosmopolitan Magazine Red Hot Read. I rest my case.)

Publicist provided for review