Flirting with Temptation

"The Love Doctor" is in the house. Okay. So maybe Babette Robinson isn't really a doctor but she does enjoy setting up her friends. She has opened a new matchmaking business and one of her clients happens to be high society gal Kitty Carelle. Kitty needs help winning back the heart of her ex fiancé, Jeff Eubanks. Babette can't turn Kitty's business down so she agrees to help Kitty win back Jeff's heart even though he and Babette used to date. That is Babette's first mistake. Babette's second mistake is in agreeing to Jeff's bet. If Babette can forgo flirting with men on the beach for seven days, he will consider taking Kitty back and going along with their engagement. Babette is shocked at the bet but agrees to it anyway. After all, it is only for seven days, right? I gut laughed out loud several times while reading this hilarious but sexy novel. Flirting with Temptation is full of wise cracks, playfulness, and just an all around fun read. Babette's character is like a free spirit. She goes where the notion takes her. She is ungrounded and loves to change her mind - and her men - often. Jeff and Babette's relationship suffered because of this and while I am not anything like Babette, I loved her soul. She walked to the beat of a different drummer - often times stumbling, but in the end she got it right. For a fast, playful, comedic and lusty read, Flirting with Temptation is the book to read. Kelley St. John has me hooked and I plan to go back and acquire her other novels to read. She is just that good of an author! Talia Reviewed for Joyfuly Reviewed

Reviewed by Sally Gorsuch for RebeccasReads.com (3/09) I wasn't sure what to expect from "Flirting with Temptation." Basically, it seemed like it might be your typical chick lit: a young woman, in her early thirties, who is just sort of floating along from job to job, not paying attention to getting her life in order. The main character, Babette Robinson, is full of energy and after repeatedly going from one job to the next; she accidentally creates the perfect job for her own special talent of being able to read people and what they really want. With a little help from her loving family, newlywed sister Claire and their Granny Gert, she attempts to finally do things right and make a commitment in her life. But being hired to "fix" the broken engagement of the man she loves and his current fiancé proves to be more of a challenge than she thought. The author did a very good job of writing "Flirting With Temptation" with a unique twist and making it fun to read. She shows it's never too late to figure what you're capable of when you set your mind to it, and that we all make mistakes, no matter how well our intentions are. Throughout the book, the author makes us feel Babette's personal frustrations, clumsy attempts to do the right thing, and accidentally creating more problems as she goes along. We can't help but laugh with her and cheer at her solutions. One part I can relate to specifically is when she puts on the suntan lotion, not thinking about checking to see if it is still good or not. As a redhead too, I know how quickly she would have burned (because the lotion was too old), and when she was in extreme pain, I felt it, too. Ms. St. John writes very clearly and even if you've never burned that badly yourself, you feel it. Babette tries so hard and slowly comes to understand herself more and more as the story goes on. It makes you want to cheer her on, even if you already know how it will end. The other part of the story, her job as Love Doctor, is a little more surprising since it involves an energetic group of retirees and their triumph at not wanting to give up on romance no matter what your age. No matter what age, we all want a companion to enjoy life with, not just go sit in a room and grow old. "Flirting with Temptation" is very entertaining and funny, with an unusual story line. It's very believable and full of hope. I will recommend this book to all my friends.

Author Kelley St. John is a former senior writer at NASA, which she says fueled her interest in writing action-packed suspense. She also enjoys writing quirky and steamy romances. She was elected to the Board of Directors for the Romance Writers of America and since 2000, has won over fifty writing awards including a two-time National Reader's Choice Award. Other titles include: To Catch a Cheat, Real Women Don't Wear Size 2, Good Girls Don't, Kiss and Dwell, Ghosts and Roses, Shiver and Spice, Fire in the Blood, Bed on Arrival, and Live and Yearn. She resides in Louisiana. Babette Robinson wasn't so good with relationships, but she was darn good at helping other people with theirs. She starts her own match-mending business and deems herself The Love Doctor. She's making quite the name for herself in Birmingham and soon attracts the attention of socialite Kitty Carelle, who hires Babette to mend her broken engagement to Jeff Eubanks...none other than her ex! When Jeff and Babette parted ways last year due to her inability to commit, they never expected the heat to still be there when they saw each other again. Jeff, having doubts that Babette has changed, issues her a challenge- Babette must abstain from any and all kinds of flirting for one week. If she succeeds, Jeff will talk to his ex-fiancé, Kitty, so Babette can maintain her thriving new business and keep her perfect record. But Babette is finding Jeff's challenge harder than imagined, especially since he keeps throwing roadblocks in her way and the attraction she thought was squelched was in fact still steamier than ever. After one week will Babette still want to give up the man she threw away? And did he feel the same? I think I enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as much as I enjoyed the two main ones. Rose and her clan from next door in the senior community were hilarious and downright lovable. The side story with Babette's grandmother, Gert was delightful, as well. The setting was perfect and the plot flowed nicely. The author has a great eye for body language, which made the characters easy to relate to and believable. This is one of those feel-good kind of books that you should pick up when in need of a good escape and a good laugh. It'll make you feel better- Trust me! Flirting With Temptation, by Kelley St. John, is a sassy, mischievous, laugh-out-loud book...And not to be missed. Kelly Moran, Author and Reviewer

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

Babette Robinson has never been good at holding a job. Her longest record has been eight weeks. The only thing Babette has even been really good at is helping people with relationships. When Babette's grandmother, Gertrude suggests that Babette start her own business helping people get back together, Babette thinks that is a great idea. You can now just start calling Babette "The Love Doctor". Babette's business has been booming. Her success rate so far is one hundred percent satisfied couples. It seems even rich socialites need help every once in a while. Kitty Carelle is that socialite. Kitty hires Babette to talk to her ex, Jeff Eubanks into giving her a second chance. What Kitty doesn't know is that Jeff also happens to be Babette's ex as well! When Jeff finds out that Babette is coming to see him; he decides to have some fun with her. Jeff tells Babette that for the next seven days, she can't flirt. You can guarantee that Jeff will do everything in his powers to tempt Babette. Fun, sun, and a sexy hunk...oh my. From the first moment I picked up Flirting with Temptation, I was in stitches from laughing so much. I mean who wouldn't laugh at two senior citizens fighting in wheelchairs to the denture stealing grandma. Babette and Jeff make the perfect couple. Babette is the damsel in distress and Jeff is her knight in shining armor. Kelley St. John knows just how to serve it up right with a hot, steamy romance and plenty of sauciness. I can't wait to dive into more excellent reads from Kelley St. John.