Man Trouble

Screwball comedy finds a sparkling voice in this debut novel.

Readers who look beyond the harebrained antics of Craft's (Trust Me) sympathetic, if not very sensible, characters, will glimpse a truly sweet romance-one that's worth the patience required to get through the first half of this book. In the unlikely set-up, history professor Molly Shaw becomes involved in a half-baked scheme to help a friend snag an exclusive interview with playboy billionaire Jake Berenger. Reluctantly, Molly dons four-inch stilettos, a platinum wig and a heavily padded bra and thrusts herself upon Jake, but the plan falls apart when Jake realizes the deception and discovers Molly's own secret-she wrote a lusty pirate romance under the pseudonym Sandra St. Claire. Instead of kicking Molly off his resort island, Jake coerces her into helping him revamp his image by pretending to be his fiancée for three months. The affection that develops between the pair is gradual and believable, unlike some of the story's details. Molly's debut romance, for example, hits the Times bestsellers list, and the revelation of her identity receives major media attention. Indeed, with one book, Molly achieves a level of fame equivalent to that of a minor movie star. But this is a fantasy, after all, and though the romance takes a while to rev up, readers will happily put themselves in Molly's shoes once it does.
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Molly has a thing about pirates. A history professor who knows everything about real pirates and their exploits, she is also the author of a steamy pirate novel that she wrote as a lark under a pseudonym so as not to jeopardize her academic career just when she is up for tenure. Meanwhile, an old friend asks her to do him a favor. He wants to get the inside scoop on Jake Berenger, a reclusive playboy billionaire. Molly agrees in spite of having major doubts. Ensconced at said playboy's Caribbean resort, Molly adopts the role of her nom de plum, Sandra St. Claire, platform shoes, bustier, and all. Jake's kingdom is teetering, and he needs a major image overhaul. Once he figures out that Sandra is really Molly, he comes up with a plan: Molly will pretend to be his fiancee. Although neither fully trusts the other, they try to make it work in Craft's madcap yet touching story of fiction becoming fact. Maria Hatton
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