"A Breezy Summer Read"

Kate Prescott grew up with her cousin Patti, and when Patti is left at the altar on her wedding day Kate is there for her. Patti's father sends the two girls to Maui, the surprise honeymoon he had planned for Patti. In the plane on the way to Maui the two women meet Cherry Jubilee, a showgirl on her way to Hawaii to find a millionaire husband. Cherry does the impossible and gets Patti to stop crying, and when Cherry's hotel situation falls through Kate and Patti invite her to share their villa.

Soon after their arrival Kate literally stumbles across Jack McKenna. His father owns the resort, and although Jack has managed other family hotels, he has agreed to work as one of the help at the Maui resort for ten days. He is instantly attracted to Kate and she to him, but later, when he overhears Patti and Cherry talking about finding Cherry a millionaire, he assumes Kate is also looking for money. He wants to find a woman who wants him for himself, and not his money, so he is unreasonably angry with Kate when she appears. His unexplainably negative attitude annoys her, and this romance looks like it is off to a very rocky start.

The Fling is a fun, breezy read. Jack and Kate are delightful. The reader can see they are perfectly suited to one another. Kate is a fantastic dessert chef and is just as interested in the hotel kitchen as she is in the beach. Jack is continually drawn to her as a moth to a flame, despite their miscommunications and misunderstandings. The twists and turns of the plot are fun and never overdone. Their romance is fiery and tender, and the couple find themselves always pulled back together by their passion. The supporting characters are also enjoyable, from fun loving Cherry to Patti's doting parents and to Jack's matchmaking father James McKenna. THE FLING is a great summer read.

Reviewed by Cynthia Meidinger
Posted July 31, 2002