Victoria Dahl, Start Me Up

Lori Love had dreamed forever to travel the world. Instead she remains in Tumble Creek, Colorado running her late dad's garage. Her best friend Molly Jennings suggests to Lori she needs a wild vacation with the proper hunk. Madcap Molly suggests her brother, Quinn, whom she knows Lori had the hots for when they were teens.

Lori is a bit frightened by the insane idea but also likes having a taste of her two dreams: travel and Quinn. On the hand the architect has no time for courting so is quite amiable to have Lori jump into bed with him. However, as he proves more prolific than the hunks in her romance novels, they fall in love, but both agreed no strings so who will say first tether please.

The return to Tumble Creed (see TALK ME DOWN) is an entertaining contemporary romance starring a woman who believes life and love has passed her by; mindful of Sandra Bullock in While You Were Sleeping. Quinn is delighted with his second chance as he wants to make the dreams of his beloved come true. Although the plot is rather straightforward, the lead pair seems so incredibly real they make START ME UP into a fine character driven tale.

Harriet Klausner