Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

I’m not, so it did, but I would still recommend both of these books, especially Bet Me. If I were a less supercilious reader, I’m sure it wouldn’t bother me at all. which is fine, but it provides a tremendous challenge to the writer to balance sincere emotional elements necessary for heartfelt romance against the escalating farce factor. At some point, there will be a screwball scene with all the characters coming and going and causing a ruckus. What exactly is my problem with silly over-the-top fun? I think I need to re-calibrate my willing suspension of disbelief, if I’m complaining that a romance novel is insufficiently realistic.įrom my limited experience of 2.5 books, I think I can safely say that Crusie traffics in romps. There were subplots involving an ex-girlfriend of Calvin’s and Min’s ex-boyfriend conspiring against their success as a couple which went on too long and veered into farce time spent on Minerva’s sister’s impending nuptials which went on too long and veered into farce and the coming together of Min and Cal’s groups of friends which was just fine and did not veer into farce. Everything is exactly and absolutely not the way it appears. Minerva overhears an Adonis making a bet with her former, for all of thirty minutes, boyfriend that said Adonis, Calvin, can’t get Minerva into bed inside a month. The Come Here Go Away went on a bit, but Bet Me was absolutely delightful, a fantastic read that I highly recommend.ĭo you need to know the plot, too? Fine. This was one of those books you read while quietly adjuring, “This is so awesome, please don’t mess it up, please don’t mess it up, this is so awesome, please don’t mess it up.” Crusie did not mess it up. Let’s just say that it’s a lot of larceny for one small town and the resolutions were ludicrous in proportion to events. There are multiple players and machinations to track and the whole thing careened along very enjoyably, buoyed by its own charm, until it veered into farce. Crusie created likeable and believable leads with excellent chemistry and a sexy, light-hearted tone. Welcome to Temptation was frequently laugh out loud funny.

The internecine political squabbles only a small town can provide are the backdrop for Sophie to fall in love with the Mayor, Phineas (Phin) Tucker.

Sophie and her sister arrive in Temptation, Ohio to film a C-list actress’s demo reel and it expands into a full movie of dubious content.

It was worth it, Bet Me is a definite keeper. I put it on hold and then just bought the darn thing on Amazon anyway. I managed to take four of Crusie’s books out of the library, but not the one I really wanted which was Bet Me. Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me is number 15 on All About Romance’s readers poll of the Top 100 Romances of all time* and Welcome to Temptation comes in at number 20.

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie