DINNER FIRST, ME LATER?

Author: Candy Halliday ISBN: 0446617520 6/2007 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: WARNER

The Housewives Fantasy Club is Now in Session Every Saturday night, best friends and neighbors Zada, Jen, Tish, and Alicia heat up their quaint little cul-de-sac with the infamous Housewives Fantasy Club. Everyone has a secret fantasy to share. Some have better ones to hide. Fantasy Made Flesh Imagine! Retired baseball star Jake "The Rake" Sims living here--in the flesh! Well, he won't find Alicia Greene an easy conquest (she does not do bad boys). So what if his chiseled pecs and grand slam physique—displayed nightly in sexy underwear commercials—once made him her "most valuable" fantasy lover. His wild lifestyle squelched that dream. Now Jake swears he's reformed, Alicia's not buying it, and their matchmaking neighbors are doing their best to foil the couple's "good" intentions. They may be on to something. After one fabulous dinner, Jake takes Alicia in his arms and discovers how forbidden passion—more tempting and sweeter than dessert--can fulfill all her secret fantasies.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

DINNER FIRST, ME LATER? is the second book in Candy Halliday's Housewives Fantasy Club series. Ms. Halliday is a new author to me and so is this series. I can honestly say that I am very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It's a great summer read, whether you're relaxing at the beach or just relaxing at home.

What really impressed me about this book was the intensity of the characters. Alicia and Jake were an excellent match, even though their relationship started off a bit rocky. Alicia's been hurt before, and isn't about to let "Jake the Rake" be the one to open up old wounds. Jake's life isn't perfect either, I give him a lot of credit for putting his celebrity status behind him to prove that he can take care of his much-bigger-than-life thirteen year-old daughter, Danielle.

I really liked Danielle, Jake's daughter, but sometimes I thought she acted a bit older than her thirteen years. Again, here's another character that is going through an emotionally difficult period in her life. She quickly befriends Alicia, and they end up forming a close bond. Needless to say, Alicia and Jake end up forming a pretty tight bond, too, and they both agree to keep their relationship a secret from her.

I know the plot sounds a bit serious, and it is, but there's a lot of hot sexual tension and sex between Alicia and Jake. The banter between them, especially when they first meet, is priceless. The sexual tension is so thick that a big ol' steak knife can't cut through it! Through the progression of the book, their relationship begins to become very serious, and Alicia can't help fantasizing how Jake could be the perfect husband and Dani could be the perfect daughter for her!

Throw in some humor from the other woman of the Housewives Fantasy Club, and DINNER FIRST, ME LATER? turns out to be a funny, heartwarming and sexy read! I enjoyed it so much that I will definitely run out and buy the first book in the series, YOUR BED OR MINE?. A definite recommended read!

Julie Kornhausl