"Can a Man To Do turn out to be a Man to Marry?"

Divorced lawyer Samantha Tyler is disillusioned with marriage and men. She and her online friends, Erin and Tess have decided that the best thing is to find Men to Do instead of a man to marry. Samantha is the last to be ready to put this idea in to action, but eventually she decides she is tired of her boring life and sets out to find a Man to Do of her own. On her first foray luck is with her and she finds a tall, handsome hunk who seems to fit into the "Swaggering Butthead" category, perfect as a temporary fling. Best of all, he says he is a photographer and he invites her to his place so that he can take her picture. Samantha knows a come-on line when she hears one, and anticipates a hot night of uncomplicated sex with this playboy. Samantha is also getting some vibes from an attractive man named Rick Grindle who is involved in a case she is working on.

But Jack really is a photographer, one who has sworn off sleeping with his models, no matter how attracted he is to them. And as for Rick, he is the most intuitive, and sensitive man Samantha has ever met, he seems to know how she is feeling even before she does. Unfortunately there is a reason why he knows what she wants, though Samantha doesn't know it, and it has nothing to do with his sensitivity towards women.

Though the reader knows that Samantha will end up with Jack (he is the hero, after all) one can't help but be attracted to the big handsome Rick right along with Samantha, even though it is clear from the beginning that he is something of a scum bag. I found the plot of A TASTE OF FANTASY to be interestingly unique with an amusing narrative and snappy dialogue to move things along. Poor Samantha, it was just her luck to find the only photographer in Chicago who really did want to only take her picture, but it was also just her luck that he turns out to be a man worth keeping.

Reviewed by Janice Bennett
Posted January 31, 2003