PROJECT DATE (Zebra Contemporary Romance)

Philomena Donovan makes a mess of her romantic life when she uses her ex-boyfriend's best friend, Rio, in her crazy plan to get one up on her superior sister and actually falls in love with him. Original.

Philomena Donovan's boyfriend, Barrington Emery Wallace III, has money and prestige, but he kisses like a St. Bernard. As soon as she breaks up with him, her parents invite her and Barry to her perfect sister Daphne's thirtieth birthday party. Mena's parents are Barry's biggest fans, and he is the only thing about her they approve of. Following her lifelong habit of trying to please her mother and father (albeit unsuccessfully), Mena decides to get her boyfriend back. But there's a glitch: Barry has replaced Mena with another woman. Using television hero MacGyver's planning tactics, Mena decides to date Barry's best friend, the stunningly handsome boxing instructor, Riordan McKenna, to make Barry jealous enough to leave his new love. But instead of the results she expects, Mena finds herself falling for the hunky Rio, a man her parents definitely won't endorse as son-in-law material. Perry (Project Daddy, 2006) has fashioned a hilarious romp with clever characters, especially Mena; her best friend, Matt; and Mena's insect-collecting, environmentalist parents. A sure-to-please, entertaining romantic comedy. Mosley, Shelley