Hot Date-Ann Garvey

Hot Date
Ann Garvey
Kensington Brava, Jun 2008, $14.00
ISBN: 9780758215932

Following her divorce, Grace Lamb returns to her hometown of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania in a rundown VW bus that should have had its last rites years ago. She seeks to renew her juices by opening a gardening business, but her first event in town is to crash into a local police car driven by Nick Griffin the hunk, her older brother's best friend.

Whereas she quickly buries herself with enthusiasm in the restoration of an antique store and being a kind of big sister to a young girl, Nick is a bit surprised that he is attracted to the beautiful woman he always thought of as a pain in the butt little sister; the girl who was always in trouble and needing his rescuing. He does that like old times, but Grace is irate as she does not want a babysitter but a loving partner as she proves in bed that she is his equal and does need his saving her, only being there for her. Making matters worse he alienates the local mob.

This is an engaging look at a small Pennsylvania town through the dual lenses of a romance and of the townsfolk living in Wrightsville. The relationship between big brother’s friend and the little sister changes because of Nick seeing her as a sexy adult and not his pal’s younger sibling; the amazing Grace always desired and was half in love with Nick in time for years. Amusing HOT DATE is a fun contemporary romance.

Harriet Klausner