Babette Robinson changes careers and lovers as easily as she changes hairstyles. But after losing her last job, she’s beginning to see that her feather-to-the-wind mentality can be unsatisfying in the long run. She’s been helping a string of friends solve their relationship problems, and when one pal points out to Babette that she could make a career out of curing people’s romantic ills, she decides to dub herself “The Love Doctor” — a match-mender-for-hire.

Living in Birmingham, Alabama, with its elite class of wealthy women, Babette has access to the ideal clientele, including the well-known Birmingham socialite Kitty Carelle. Having unceremoniously dumped her lover, Kitty now regrets her hasty decision and wants him back. Trouble is, the man Kitty seeks to recapture is none other than Jeff Eubanks — Babette’s ex! The carefree Babette of three years ago had written him off with a shrug, yet now she can’t help remembering that he did give her the absolute best sex of her life…not to mention his charm, good looks, and brains.

To save her newfound career and prove she can stick with something–if not someone–Babette is determined to mend Kitty and Jeff’s broken relationship, but Jeff has other plans. He was crazy about Babette when she suddenly bailed on their relationship, and after Kitty did the same he became convinced that no woman can ever commit. To prove his point, Jeff issues Babette a challenge: no flirting for a week, and he’ll talk to Kitty. That is, if, after seven tempting nights on the beach with Jeff, it’s still with Kitty that she wants him to reconcile.

Flirting with Temptation by Kelley St. John is a sequel of sorts to Real Women Don’t Wear Size 2. I haven’t read RWDWS2 and I don’t feel like I missed anything by skipping it.

This was a fun contemporary read. Babette and Jeff were going hot and heavy until he unexpectedly ended it. Even though Babette wasn’t looking for a serious relationship with Jeff, she can’t help but thinking about him – even years after the fact. When Kitty shows up looking for help from the Love Doctor to get her fiance back, Babette doesn’t know if she can set aside her past with Jeff to make it work. But she’s determined to try.

Jeff broke up with Babette because he realized they weren’t in the same place. He was falling hard for her but she didn’t want to commit. After his fiance runs off with another man it confirms what he always knew – it’s not men that can’t commit, it’s women. For Babette to prove to Jeff she can commit she needs to stick with her job as a Love Doctor. Which means reuniting him with his ex, even though she realizes she really wants to keep him for herself.

This was a really fun story. I liked that Babette was the one who didn’t want a commitment. That was a nice change of pace. I really liked that they spent time together and we really got to see the intimacy between them. It was obvious that they truly cared for each other and it wasn’t just sexual chemistry, though they did have that in spades.

Jeff was an interesting character. Having him be the one who wanted a commitment was different, but really worked. I was frustrated somewhat by the fact that he got with his ex-fiance so soon after he and Babette broke up, but St. John made it work in the context of the story.

Though Babette is portrayed as flighty in the beginning we come to see she has hidden depths. I think it was good that she had to prove she commit, not because Jeff needed her to, but because she needed to realize she could and should.

This was the perfect spring read – light, breezy and fun.

4 out of 5

This book is available from Forever. You can buy it here or here in e-format.