IF YOU JUST SAY YES

Author: Reon Laudat ISBN: 0312933630 2/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S PRESS

Manhattan journalist Michelle Michaels just can't seem to get a break when she finds herself the subject of false rumors. Now she's being blindsided by her own boss. Wrongly suspecting her of trading sex for scoops, he's caved in to the shady newsroom gossip and sent Michelle quietly packing on a leave of absence to her hometown of Detroit where some family secrets still lurk. With a career on the DL and a love life at low-ebb, Michelle's hit rock bottom-until she meets dark, dimpled, and delicious Wesley Abbott... Detroit reporter Wesley Abbott's plate is full investigating a corrupt local judge. Now he's got something else to investigate-and she's the sweetest thing to sashay into the Herald in years. But Michelle and Wesley have more in common than they ever imagined, and it's not just mellow vibes. In fact, it's a scandal! And when these two bodies bump, so does trouble-with a capital T..

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Michelle is a journalist whose luck has just run out. She is being accused of trading sexual favors for hot inside stories, and is sent back to her hometown of Detroit, Michigan, to work at a different newspaper for twelve weeks until things simmer down. Michelle is not happy about leaving her job in Manhattan, but is excited about the prospect of seeing her family again and getting to the bottom of her mother's increasing need for cash assistance from her. The last thing on her mind is meeting a man, let alone falling in love with one.

That is where Wes comes in. From the minute he sees Michelle getting out of her car, in HIS parking spot, sparks fly!! Wes is successful, good looking, charming and totally lovable. Some of my favorite parts in the book are when Ms. Laudat is
telling the reader what Wes is thinking. It is exactly the sort of thing that a woman would expect a man to think, and fits absolutely perfectly to your image of Wes. Not to mention that you will laugh out loud with some of his thoughts. He tries like crazy to get Michelle interested at first ,and you kind of feel bad for the guy when he is rejected by Michelle a couple of times! She really gives him a run for his money, at first!!

This book has all of the elements—a charming, handsome hero, a beautiful, smart heroine, loving family, good romance and a nice little side plot about a crooked legal system. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book, and will be searching out more of Ms. Laudat's titles very soon.

Kristal Gorman