Dating Game

Lainie Ames is a down on her luck leading lady who has returned to her hometown broke and desperate right around the time of her high school reunion. After desperation drives her to commit a random act of theft, from a rich, good looking stranger, she happens to run into the victim of her shenanigans while she's looking for a job. The ensuing story is full of whimsical fun, cute characters and fast moving action. This book is never going to win a Pulitzer, but it's a lighthearted and entertaining read.

Lainie Ames has returned to her high school home not the success she always envisioned, but a complete failure. She has no job, her home was repossessed, her husband left her with a huge mountain of debt, and she literally has no place else to go. Lainie tries to fool her family into thinking that she is just home to make some decisions about her future because she wants to hide her failure from everyone as long as she can. Jack Danforth finds Lainie in his office looking for a job at his detective agency. He finds that ironic since he just had met her in a restaurant, in which she stole his credit card to pay for her and her sisters meal. He was looking for her, has done some research on her and knows her circumstances, so he hires her. Jack finds himself drawn to Lainie, but she is only interested in catching the eye of her crush in high school, Blaine Harper. This is a enjoyable light read. Lainie never felt like she measured up, and most of us can relate to feeling like that at some time in our lives.

Fifteen years ago Lainie Ames left Naples, Florida following her high school graduation feeling that she was a loser, but dreamed she come back a major success. Instead she returns the way she left believing she remains a loser. The Seattle hi tech company went bankrupt and her former spouse Ted ran up gambling debts. Her half sister and their father believe she came home for some rest until she starts anew as they assume she is wealthy with a computer science degree due to the three lies she told them. Instead she came home because she had no other place to go. Jack Danforth hires Lainie to work at his detective agency because as he says to himself he is an idiot for thinking with the wrong head. He wants Lainie, but she seems to desire some hunk from her high school days, football captain Blaine Harper. You don't know Jack if you think he will allow Blaine to get his Lainie as he knows he loves her. Though Lainie is in her thirties this is a coming of age story that is summarized by Blaine when he says "your value as a person is not dependent on who wears your letterman jacket", a lesson that the lead female must learn. Chick lit fans will enjoy Lainie's escapades as Jack keeps jacking up her dating while she assumes she cannot compete with the likes of Shay though the two men competing for her would say that Shay cannot compete with her. Beverly Brandt provides a delightful humorous look at the modern day DATING GAME. Harriet Klausner