Erin McCarthy, You Don't Know Jack

You Don't Know Jack

Erin McCarthy

Brava, Oct 2006, $14.00

ISBN: 075821409X

Social worker Jamie Peters seems to date a lot of losers who she helps get on their feet and builds up their confidence until they feel ready to face the world, but first they dump her. Her psychic friend, Beckworth Tripp tells her that her bad run of relationships is about to end because she is going to accidentally run into Mr. Right. She ridicules his prediction, but deep down fears what will happen because she knows Tripp never trips up.

On the subway, a sudden jerk by the train sends Jamie into Jack Davidson, destroying his spaghetti meal. They are attracted to one another, but he has relationship issues too as women want his wealth and power rather than him. He hides from her that he is former Wall St. genius Jonathon Davidson, her college roommate's brother and the man who directed the Hathaway Foundation to reject her application for funding of her Urban Gardens project because he thinks her agency is involved in illegal day trading. As they fall in love while he dates and investigates her, he fears what will happen to their relationship because she may not know Jack from Jonathon, but she detests liars and their foundation is built on a lie.

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK is a fun, lighthearted, romantic romp starring two likable protagonists. Jamie knows the moment she accidentally knocks into Jack he is her "One" as predicted by cross-dressing Beckworth. Jack knows one thing that when she learns just who he is, he faces strike three: hiding his identity, rejecting her application; and investigating her agency. Fans will appreciate their up and down relationship as he knows he needs to prove his sincerity to his beloved so that he regains her trust; as the delightfully eccentric Tripp will tell readers anything can happen on Hudson Street.

Harriet Klausner