TALL TALES AND WEDDING VEILS

Author: Jane Graves ISBN: 0446617873 6/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: GRAND CENTRAL

MARRY IN HASTE... Accountant Heather Montgomery is a planner. So never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd run into sexy charmer Tony McCaffrey in Vegas, play lady luck, and celebrate his jackpot with a champagne-soaked night. And she certainly never expected to wake up the next morning married! How could this good girl pick a man whose fridge is empty and whose apartment is a disaster zone, yet still drives her so crazy with lust she can't see straight? LUST AT LEISURE! Quickly hitched and happily ditched, Tony can't wait to get back to his playboy ways. But when Heather's family is thrilled that their no-nonsense daughter is finally in love, he proposes a plan: stay married for a month to repay his good luck charm, even though she sterilizes his toothbrush and forbids anything between the sheets. But Heather is more than he bargained for—a sharp-witted, passionate woman who just might turn his near miss into wedded bliss!

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Jane Graves brings readers a tale of two opposites finding themselves attracted after a lucky night in Las Vegas ends with their marriage in TALL TALES AND WEDDING VEILS.

Heather Montgomery is a woman set up to be embarrassed by her cousin, Regina, as she is to be a bridesmaid in a hideous dress in the next month. Probably the only good thing stemming from the wedding is the weekend of fun in Las Vegas Regina has planned for all her bridesmaids. But upon arriving, Heather finds herself not having as much fun until she finds a ten dollar chip outside her room door. That chip changes her whole life.

Tony McCaffrey is in Vegas to hedge his bets for his future. The financing fell out on his plans to buy a bar in his hometown of Plano, Texas. But once he hits the tables in Vegas, lady luck escapes him and he is forced to put his dream on the back burner. That is, until he meets Heather at the elevators. She gives Tony her ten dollar chip and goes with him to play it, almost winning the needed $10,000 before losing it all on one big bet. As Tony leaves, Heather feels bad and uses the left over ten dollar chip at a slot machine and hits the jackpot. She races to tell Tony, who is amazed at the luck Heather has brought him. The two take a celebratory ride in a limo around Vegas and find the next morning that they are married.

As they return to their lives at home, they decide to annul their marriage while still playing the happy couple until Regina’s wedding. But as the two live together and begin to fall in love, they find that the real luck they found in Vegas was each other.

I truly enjoyed Graves’ TALL TALES AND WEDDING VEILS. Though the premise sounds unbelievable, I wouldn’t doubt a few couples have found themselves hitched after a night of partying in Sin City. Both characters had issues that they were able to bring to attention and resolve with the help of the other. Heather, an accountant, is often seen as the ugly duckling of her family. But with gorgeous Tony’s undivided attention, she is able to one-up her cousin Regina, once and for all. And Tony, with all his plans of owning his own bar and being in charge of his life, finds himself way over his head running McMillian’s, the bar he buys. But with Heather’s help, he is able to get on the right track.

The attraction these two had started with a few glasses of champagne, though when sober, each finds qualities that they want in a partner in the other. The love scenes were hot and sensual, just the way I like them. I will be looking out for more stories by Jane Graves as I absolutely loved TALL TALES AND WEDDING VEILS.

Maame Kanbi