Smooth Talking Stranger

February 2, 2009
Ella Varner grew up with a troublesome mother and an insecure sister, but she has managed to come out of it reasonably sane, with a good (if vegan) boyfriend, Dane, and a job as an advice columnist. All of this gets turned upside down when her sister disappears and sticks Ella with her newborn, Luke. Determined to find Luke's father, Ella tracks down a likely suspect—millionaire playboy Jack Travis. The encounter results in Travis and Ella unexpectedly engaged in an irrepressible attraction. Meanwhile, Ella grows fond of baby Luke and fears what will happen when Tara returns. As Ella grapples with conflicting desires, she learns some important lessons about love and trust. Though Kleypas has trouble breaking her male characters out of archetype and the arc is familiar, Ella's familial dysfunction distinguishes her from other heroines, and her self-awareness draws her out of a stereotypical shell. This will please romance fans, even if it hews a bit too closely to genre conventions.

February 15, 2009
As advice columnist Miss Independent, Ella Varner thought she had all the answers, but when her sister, Tara, leaves her brand-new baby with their mother and then disappears, Ella discovers thatproblems in the real world are not quite as easy to solve as those in print. Ellas mother insists that she come and deal with the situation, since the very idea of her being a grandmother will ruin her social life. When Ella arrives in Houston, her first goal is to find the babys fatherone of Taras friends believesits millionaire Texas real-estate developer Jack Travis. When Ella shows up at Jacks office, she is surprised to discover that not only is Jack more considerate than she imaginedespecially since he insists the baby is not hisbut way sexier than shethought possible. RITA Awardwinning Kleypas clever pairing of a testosterone-rich hero and a wonderfully endearing heroine gives her latest romanceits irresistibly sexy flavor, while adding fresh zest to her exceedingly successfulseries of loosely connected contemporary romances, which began with Sugar Daddy (2007). Kleypas fans and readers of womens fiction alike will take tothisrichly rewarding story of love, commitment, and family.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)