Flirting With Temptation-Kelley St. John

Flirting With Temptation
Kelley St. John
Forever, Feb 2009, $6.99
ISBN: 044661923X

In Birmingham, thirty-four years old Babette Robinson knows herself too well as her lack of commitment has led to failures. She is the best person at almost anything until she reaches what the NFL calls the Red Zone where she fumbles away the touchdown. Her family insists she is a kind person who is always there to help other people with problems. They persuade her she should open up her own business as a relationship repairwoman.

Feeling good about the concept, Babette creates a match-mending consulting firm the `Love Doctor”. Business is booming almost immediately and within a few months, Babette is the talk of the town as her success rate is phenomenal. She knows she has made it when affluent society queen Kitty Carelle hires her to patch things up with her ex fiancé Jeff Eubanks, who apparently does not want a second engagement after being dumped one month before the wedding. However, there is a couple of spitballs in bringing together Jeff and Kitty as he was Babette’s lover for several years. She realizes she wants to patch up their broken relationship that she ended because she could not commit. Her quandary is if she fails Kitty, Jeff will affirm his belief Babette cannot stay the course and would only dump him again if they start over.

This is a fun second chance at love starring fully developed lead characters and strong support players. The story line is fast-paced from the onset but focuses deeply on the fears and hopes of several cast members, but especially Babette. With some slices of humor, but mostly a poignant look at relationships, FLIRTING WITH TEMPTATIONS is a delightful character driven contemporary romance.

Harriet Klausner