KISS ME IF YOU CAN

Author: Carly Phillips ISBN: 9780373774548 8/2010 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HQN

Sam Cooper ("Coop") has just become the most eligible bachelor in New York City. Now that he has foiled a jewelry-store robbery and has been rewarded with the ring of his choice, single women all over the city are fawning over the crime reporter. But Coop isn't interested in the admirers sending racy underwear his way. His attention is centered solely on Lexie Davis, the only woman in the city who claims not to be interested in his bachelor status. Instead, free-spirited Lexie is interested in Coop's antique ring, and its—potentially scandalous—history in her family. But Coop is quickly becoming more than just her route to the ring. When his investigation starts to uncover the truth, will she trust her heart—and her family secrets—to this most eligible bachelor?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Carly Phillips sets her contemporary romance KISS ME IF YOU CAN in New York City, where crime reporter, Sam Cooper, suddenly becomes the subject of his own newspaper when he stops a robbery in progress at a jewelry store. The store owner rewards him with an antique ring of his choice. He really hates the spotlight, and it only gets worse when the ‘Bachelor Blog’ column names Coop as the new hottie.

Lexie Davis is a web designer who keeps a home base at her grandmother’s place, but loves to travel the world. She happens to catch a news broadcast of Sam getting the ring and is immediately taken with how similar it looks to her grandmother’s necklace. If only she can convince him to sell it to her for Grandma’s birthday next week. Unfortunately for Lexie, one of Sam’s co-workers recognizes the style, and when he researches the piece (cue Antiques Roadshow theme music), he finds out it is stolen property from 50 years ago. So does Lexie’s grandmother have stolen property, too? If Coop follows the trail back to the crime, will he lose Lexie in the process?

Phillips always uses her sense of humor and light-hearted romance when venturing off into the world of quirky relationships, and even more so with this screwball caper. Lexie has real issues with her button-down family and has always been more of a free spirit like granny. But was her dad just protecting himself from his loose cannon mom? Oh, the pendulum swings wide from one generation to the next. And poor Coop has his own generational problems. He grew up wanting to be a cop like his dad and brother, but an injury suffered in training sidelined him and left him feeling like he’d never measure up in his dad’s eyes. Does he dare reveal to his family that he’d rather write crime fiction than the solid reporting that brings home the bacon? As willing as Coop is to take the risk of becoming a novelist, could he possibly follow Lexie into her madcap jet-setting travel world?

KISS ME IF YOU CAN had me laughing, crying, and holding my breath. It also definitely had me giving thanks for my own family members. I love how Phillips always gets me involved in her characters, and I look forward to her next batch of misfits.

Susan Barton