Toying with His Affections (A Goody's Goodies Novel)

Evie Bell left Fairview as a good girl and returns years later to help her ailing aunt. The town’s people are scandalized, knowing that she became a Las Vegas show girl. Forced to retire, Evie applies her schooling to marketing sex toys. Using the nosy interest of the townsfolk, she draws them in, turning a profit at her aunt’s bookstore, but not without repercussions. Enter one handsome Griffin Barstow vying for the position of Sheriff. He too left Fairview once, but as the bad boy, and now he’s ready to settle down. He thinks Evie should too - maybe with him - but how many votes will he lose snuggling with a perceived harlot?

The town’s disapproval and wariness is portrayed with realism. Evie’s character is a spicy gal who doesn’t let the hurdles in life drag her down. The storyline is charming and mixes the expected tensions with scenes of attraction and lovely description of small town America. The moral choices in the story swirl around Griffin. If he wants to be voted in as Sheriff should he make tongues wag by hitching his wagon to a dark horse? The balance in the story was a little lopsided with the wrap up almost too quick to savor. Both characters realize they have something to cherish and the reader should be allowed to linger in the glow. 

Small town romances can often be clichéd but by adding a few new ingredients to the formula, Ms. Curtis creates interesting characters, family problems to overcome and a white picket fence ending.

Natasza Waters