Customer Reviews

Flirting With Temptation

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"The Love Doctor" is in the house. Okay. So maybe Babette Robinson isn't really a doctor but she does enjoy setting up her friends. She has opened a new matchmaking business and one of her clients happens to be high society gal Kitty Carelle. Kitty needs help winning back the heart of her ex fiancé, Jeff Eubanks. Babette can't turn Kitty's business down so she agrees to help Kitty win back Jeff's heart even though he and Babette used to date. That is Babette's first mistake.

Babette's second mistake is in agreeing to Jeff's bet. If Babette can forgo flirting with men on the beach for seven days, he will consider taking Kitty back and going along with their engagement. Babette is shocked at the bet but agrees to it anyway. After all, it is only for seven days, right?

I gut laughed out loud several times while reading this hilarious but sexy novel. Flirting with Temptation is full of wise cracks, playfulness, and just an all around fun read. Babette's character is like a free spirit. She goes where the notion takes her. She is ungrounded and loves to change her mind - and her men - often. Jeff and Babette's relationship suffered because of this and while I am not anything like Babette, I loved her soul. She walked to the beat of a different drummer - often times stumbling, but in the end she got it right.

For a fast, playful, comedic and lusty read, Flirting with Temptation is the book to read. Kelley St. John has me hooked and I plan to go back and acquire her other novels to read. She is just that good of an author!


Talia
Reviewed for Joyfuly Reviewed

As I've said many times before, I'm not usually into contemporary romances, chic lit, whatever tag you want to place on the books. My shelves are filled with mostly paranormals and historicals, and that's about it. When I venture into the 'other' genre of romance, it's not very often that I find myself enjoying the book. This is one of those rare ones that I found to be a fairly pleasant read.

Although the characters were not my favorite (For one, I had a problem with the heroine's name being "Babette". No offense to the author, who came up with it, or to any ladies out there with that name, but it just didn't quiet cut it for me. It reminded me of Babette, the neighbor from the TV series Gilmore Girls, and every time I'd see the name in the book, well, it just kind of ruined the 'sexy' effect for me), they were not horrible either. I just wish that we had been able to connect a bit more with them through the story, especially Jeff and Babette. It seemed like we found out only the bare minimum about them, and that was it. Of course, most of the people introduced in this book gave me a good chuckle now and then, but still, nothing very deep.

The story line was okay: not my usual thing (kind of tame, but, again, it's because contemps are not my usual cup of tea), but I didn't outright hate it. It had it's moments, and it gave the book a nice, lite feeling. I know that some think that 'lite' is a bad thing in a book, especially a romance, but that's not true. For the most part, when I say that a story was 'lite', I mean it in a good way. It's not heavy or complicated, and for some readers, that's just the kind of story they want. For others, it's a nice reprieve, a treat after a long hard day, or after a long stream of (choose your favorite genre and put it here). It's carefree, funny, and sexy.

While the romance may not have been the 'awe' factor that I have found in some of my all-time favorite ones, it was still very nice and sweet. (Rekindled love between separated lovers... Sigh. Brings back old memories, right?) The sex scenes were a bit few and far between (not always a bad thing, of course...) but the few (brief) ones that were in the book were nicely done. Not scorching, like an erotic romance, but not too mild either. I wish there had been a bit more, but the point of Jeff and Babette's story was to prove that, in the end, they had more than just "great sex" in their relationship, so I understand the reason behind the author's decision.

There are more than a few witty remarks in the book, and I chuckled at a few. Over all, it's a great, fast-paced romance. Perfect for warming up with during the mid-winter blahs, but also a good choice for poolside reading during the summer.

4/5 STARS! Kelley writes a wonderful contemporary, a sweet and funny take on a 'Love Doctor' and her story. I read it over Valentine's weekend, and it was a refreshing break from all of the fantasy world romances I've been reading, so I'm sure that it will prove to be a satisfying read for others as well.

Flirting with Temptation is a light, quick and really cute contemporary romance by Kelley St. John. The first 50 pages or so were boring in my opinion, but things pick up when the heroine goes to meet with the hero. The secondary characters were also in my opinion somewhat boring, and I just wanted to skip pages until it got back to the hero and heroine.

In this story, Babette is still in love with her ex-boyfriend Jeff Eubanks. Althogh it has been a year since they have been broken up. And Jeff has just ended things with his fiance. His ex-fiance Kitty asks Babette aka "The Love Doctor" to help her get back together with Jeff. So trying to be a professional, Babette goes to Florida to try to talk to Jeff about getting back with Kitty.

But Babette's feelings for Jeff, and Jeff's feeling for Babette start to get in the way of her doing her job. Babette finds herself finally hoping for a future with Jeff, but Kitty still doesn't know that Babette and Jeff used to be an item. Jeff knows that Babette has commitment issues so he is wondering if she is really ready to settle down now after all. This story was somewhat formulaic, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Her writing reminds me of Susan Donovan's, but I think I like Susan's books more.

In Birmingham, thirty-four years old Babette Robinson knows herself too well as her lack of commitment has led to failures. She is the best person at almost anything until she reaches what the NFL calls the Red Zone where she fumbles away the touchdown. Her family insists she is a kind person who is always there to help other people with problems. They persuade her she should open up her own business as a relationship repairwoman.

Feeling good about the concept, Babette creates a match-mending consulting firm the `Love Doctor". Business is booming almost immediately and within a few months, Babette is the talk of the town as her success rate is phenomenal. She knows she has made it when affluent society queen Kitty Carelle hires her to patch things up with her ex fiancé Jeff Eubanks, who apparently does not want a second engagement after being dumped one month before the wedding. However, there is a couple of spitballs in bringing together Jeff and Kitty as he was Babette's lover for several years. She realizes she wants to patch up their broken relationship that she ended because she could not commit. Her quandary is if she fails Kitty, Jeff will affirm his belief Babette cannot stay the course and would only dump him again if they start over.

This is a fun second chance at love starring fully developed lead characters and strong support players. The story line is fast-paced from the onset but focuses deeply on the fears and hopes of several cast members, but especially Babette. With some slices of humor, but mostly a poignant look at relationships, FLIRTING WITH TEMPTATIONS is a delightful character driven contemporary romance.

Harriet Klausner

Author Kelley St. John is a former senior writer at NASA, which she says fueled her interest in writing action-packed suspense. She also enjoys writing quirky and steamy romances. She was elected to the Board of Directors for the Romance Writers of America and since 2000, has won over fifty writing awards including a two-time National Reader's Choice Award. Other titles include: To Catch a Cheat, Real Women Don't Wear Size 2, Good Girls Don't, Kiss and Dwell, Ghosts and Roses, Shiver and Spice, Fire in the Blood, Bed on Arrival, and Live and Yearn. She resides in Louisiana.
Babette Robinson wasn't so good with relationships, but she was darn good at helping other people with theirs. She starts her own match-mending business and deems herself The Love Doctor. She's making quite the name for herself in Birmingham and soon attracts the attention of socialite Kitty Carelle, who hires Babette to mend her broken engagement to Jeff Eubanks...none other than her ex! When Jeff and Babette parted ways last year due to her inability to commit, they never expected the heat to still be there when they saw each other again. Jeff, having doubts that Babette has changed, issues her a challenge- Babette must abstain from any and all kinds of flirting for one week. If she succeeds, Jeff will talk to his ex-fiancé, Kitty, so Babette can maintain her thriving new business and keep her perfect record. But Babette is finding Jeff's challenge harder than imagined, especially since he keeps throwing roadblocks in her way and the attraction she thought was squelched was in fact still steamier than ever. After one week will Babette still want to give up the man she threw away? And did he feel the same?
I think I enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as much as I enjoyed the two main ones. Rose and her clan from next door in the senior community were hilarious and downright lovable. The side story with Babette's grandmother, Gert was delightful, as well. The setting was perfect and the plot flowed nicely. The author has a great eye for body language, which made the characters easy to relate to and believable. This is one of those feel-good kind of books that you should pick up when in need of a good escape and a good laugh. It'll make you feel better- Trust me!
Flirting With Temptation, by Kelley St. John, is a sassy, mischievous, laugh-out-loud book...And not to be missed.

Kelly Moran,
Author and Reviewer

Babette Robinson has never been good at holding a job. Her longest record has been eight weeks. The only thing Babette has even been really good at is helping people with relationships. When Babette's grandmother, Gertrude suggests that Babette start her own business helping people get back together, Babette thinks that is a great idea.

You can now just start calling Babette "The Love Doctor". Babette's business has been booming. Her success rate so far is one hundred percent satisfied couples. It seems even rich socialites need help every once in a while. Kitty Carelle is that socialite. Kitty hires Babette to talk to her ex, Jeff Eubanks into giving her a second chance. What Kitty doesn't know is that Jeff also happens to be Babette's ex as well!

When Jeff finds out that Babette is coming to see him; he decides to have some fun with her. Jeff tells Babette that for the next seven days, she can't flirt. You can guarantee that Jeff will do everything in his powers to tempt Babette. Fun, sun, and a sexy hunk...oh my.

From the first moment I picked up Flirting with Temptation, I was in stitches from laughing so much. I mean who wouldn't laugh at two senior citizens fighting in wheelchairs to the denture stealing grandma. Babette and Jeff make the perfect couple. Babette is the damsel in distress and Jeff is her knight in shining armor. Kelley St. John knows just how to serve it up right with a hot, steamy romance and plenty of sauciness. I can't wait to dive into more excellent reads from Kelley St. John.

Babette Robinson is at a crossroads in her life. Fired from yet another job, she discovers she has a gift for reading body language. She launches a new career as The Love Doctor, helping people with their relationships. Her business takes off...and now she finds herself in the dubious position of trying to reunite Kitty Carelle, a prominent woman in town, with her lost love. There's just one little problem: Kitty's lost love is also Babette's ex, Jeff Eubanks!

What a fun book! FLIRTING WITH TEMPTATION has just the right balance of romance, humor, and tension to keep the storyline interesting. The characters are perfect for the hilarity that ensues.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud at some of the predicaments Babette finds herself in. It's a fine line between writing a heroine who makes mistakes and one who is simply too stupid to live. Kelley St. John does a spectacular job at not crossing that line as Babette is a hoot! Her independent streak is hard not to admire even as her mistakes create some of the most amusing situations.

FLIRTING WITH TEMPTATION is a great pick-me-up sort of read. I'd worried it would be a little cheesy (after all, a Love Doctor as a career?) but Kelley St. John pulls all the pieces together to make it entertaining. Easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES