When she receives an invitation to her younger sister’s wedding, Kate Frazier really does not want to return to the town where she felt she did not fit in. A full-figured redhead in a family of cute blond beauties, Kate has always felt like the odd girl out. If she goes home alone, she’ll feel even more conspicuous, because the fiancé who dumped her for another, slimmer woman still lives in her home town. Kate’s best friend thinks she has the answer, though, and hires Kate a male escort for her trip home as a holiday gift.

Dr. Clive Thibodaux has been shadowing a madam while researching a book on human sexuality. When the order for Kate’s male escort comes in, he recognizes Kate as his neighbor down the hall – the neighbor that he has had a yen for ever since he moved in to his apartment – and he jumps at the opportunity to be her escort. There is nothing he would like more than to get to know Kate better and to teach her a little about the wilder side of sex.

Soon after they meet, it is obvious that Kate and Clive are very well matched. He puts her at ease, charms her family, and makes her nights something to remember, and Kate finds herself falling in love with him without her volition. When Clive’s deception of her comes to light, however, Kate is convinced that he is just using her as material for his book. Suddenly, everything that was right between them crumbles into an empty pack of lies.

Tinsel Town by Flesa Black is a story about love and deception and mistaken identity. The characters are well drawn and sympathetic, and while the plot is not exactly unique, it is rendered in a fresh and fun way that will keep the reader fully engaged. There is never any doubt in our minds that Clive’s secret will be exposed to Kate before he can confess all to her. The suspense lies in how his deception will be revealed to her and exactly what Kate’s reaction will be. There are a number of comic moments in this story as Clive teaches Kate that it can be fun to be a little naughty. I found myself laughing out loud during a scene that involves a pair of remote control panties and thinking that she would be crazy to let go of a man with such a sense of humor. Flesa Black has given us a very entertaining story with Tinsel Town, and I thought it was well worth my time to read it.

Reviewed by: Whitney