Make Me Over
Leslie Kelly
Harlequin Temptation, Dec 2004, $4.50. 216 pp.
ISBN: 0373692048

George Washington University Professor Drew Bennett agrees to a reality show based on his book, "Beyond Eliza Doolittle: Education vs. Genetics in Today's Society" because the sponsors offer a contribution to his favorite charity, Book and a Dream. Drew will make over five women on national TV with the producers hoping he turns into the final catch of one them.

In the library, Drew meets one of the contestants, hillbilly Tori Lyons from Sheets Creek, Tennessee. They are attracted to one another from the start and he also likes her refreshing honesty when she admits she likes his stare as if he wants to devour her. She admits that she joined the show as a deathbed promise to her father, who recovered and now holds her to her vow. As Tori and Drew fall in love, both realizes their backgrounds make anything permanent remote even as the show must go on.

This is a fun, contemporary romance starring two delightful individuals that reflect the professor's book in terms of genetics vs. education. Readers would never expect to find a common ground between these two yet love serves as that vehicle. A final twist on the contest will leave many fans waiting for Leslie Kelly's next reality book as MAKE ME OVER is an entertaining satirical look at relationships forging in front of millions.

Harriet Klausner