THE NAKED TRUTH

Author: Donna Kauffman, Beverly Brandt, Alesia Holliday, and Erin McCarthy ISBN: 0425206149 10/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: BERKLEY

Four all-new stories about men, women, and the delicious games they play when it comes to love. Falling in love is never easy, but there's nothing like it to keep a woman on her toes. There are no rules to romance-and usually the only way to get a little is to take the plunge. In these fabulous original stories, four acclaimed authors deliver the whole truth and nothing but the truth about four bold women who risk it all to win at the unpredictable game of love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE NAKED TRUTH is a collection of light, humorous and very contemporary stories about adventurous women and the men that fall for them.

The Winning Truth by Erin McCarthy starts the book. It's a great story. Tansey Reynolds wins a chance to make twenty-five thousand dollars. All she has to do is share the inside of a car with three other people—and manage not to disqualify herself from the contest before they do. One of the other contestants just happens to be the man of her dreams though, and Tansey will have to rethink her plans for the future. The characters have palpable sexual tension and McCarthy admirably fits an entire, credible courtship into two days in a car.

The Naked Truth About Guys is by Alesia Holliday. C.J. is a young newspaper columnist who feels like one of the guys. After a friend insists on a makeover, she gets two date offers with great but very different guys. This sends her into an identity crisis. The men are appealing, and if the story setup doesn't quite suspend disbelief, it is still enjoyable to read.

Truth Or Dare by Donna Kauffman is next. Winning klutz Bailey Madison is a budding biographer on her way to meet the eccentric billionaire she is going to write about when she's faced with an interloper—her bad boy ex. He will have to face his fears about commitment for them to find love.

Last, we have Nothing But The Truth by Beverly Brandt. It is a Valentine's Day tale about finding new love on a day of hope for all romance. The story is set entirely at the end of one day, as the heroine, who works at a marriage preparatory service, puts the finishing touches on three marriage proposals that seem very likely to go wrong. Will she be able to find love herself less than a year after a nasty divorce?

Heather Hiestand