Tempted Again

December 1, 2011

There's nothing like inadvertently joining a local parade on your first day back in town to attract the attention of the sexy sheriff. Librarian Marissa Bennett Johnson does just that--and then realizes that Sheriff Connor Doyle is the college freshman who took her virginity when she was a high school senior and then dumped her. Thrown together by a joint program for troubled teens, as well as their apartments being next door to each other, Marissa and Connor have little choice but to get along--a task that becomes more difficult as the unwanted attraction between them begins to flare. VERDICT A divorced, disillusioned heroine determined to get her life back on track and a hero haunted by his own demons reconnect with sizzle in this spirited, sometimes prickly, yet touching escapade that overflows with hilarious dialog, an abundance of small-town charm, and quirky characters. With links to Luck Be a Lady. Linz lives in the Chicago area.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2012
Librarian Marissa Bennett, emotionally damaged by a nasty divorce, returns to Hopeful, Ohio, where she grew up. With her job and marriage ending at the same time, her life is a mess, and she needs to be somewhere where she can regroup. Marissa takes a pay cut to work at the Hopeful Memorial Library and moves back in with her parents, confident that she has found a safe haven from her woes. Unfortunately, home is less of a sanctuary than a place where her father pointedly ignores Marissa's hot-flash-afflicted mother. Her sister torments Marissa as much as she did when they were kids. And the sexy sheriff pulls Marissa over. He doesn't recognize her, but she is all-too familiar with Connor Doyle, the first person she slept with. They had a wonderful time together until he dumped her and moved to Chicago. With its funny dialogue, ordinary family in crazy situations, and hilarious secondary characters, Tempted Again is quintessential Linz (Luck Be a Lady, 2010; Mad, Bad and Blonde, 2010), who has created some of the most delightful librarian protagonists in modern romances.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)