Welcome to Temptation

Author: Jennifer Crusie
Published: April 2001 (St. Martin's)
Category: Romance
Rating: 8/10

This was another Jennie recommendation, my third Jennifer Crusie book, and definitely my favorite of them. I feel like Crusie's books are fun reads with madcap hijinks surrounding the hero and heroine. I'm entertained, but in such a way that I don't feel the urge to run out and buy all of her backlist.

All Sophie Dempsey wants to do is help her sister make a video of a washed-up actress and get out of town before they get into trouble. The daughter of generations of con men, Sophie's trying to walk the straight and narrow, but it's, well, difficult.

All Mayor Phineas Tucker wants to do is run Temptation with as little fuss as possible and win his upcoming election without cutting into the time he needs for his real passion: playing pool. The son of generations of mayors, Phin's trying to be an upstanding citizen, but it's, well, boring.

It only takes one look before Sophie knows that Phin's the kind of boy her mother used to warn her about-- a fast-talking town boy-- and Phin knows she's the kind of woman his father told him to stay away from-- the devil's candy.

And in no time at all, boredom is the least of their difficulties. Gossip, adultery, and blackmail; pornography, politics, and murder; vehicular abuse of a corpse and slightly perverse but really excellent sex: all hell is breaking loose in Temptation, Ohio, while Sophie and Phin fall deeper and deeper in trouble… and in love.

I was annoyed by Phin's mother for most of the book. What is with all these crazy Southern mothers trying to run their sons' lives? I feel like I've read a bunch of books with overbearing, ambitious WASPy moms (case in point - Carolina Moon) in the South.


I was surprised that the love scenes were pretty raunchy, despite the supposed pornography that occurs in the movie. But maybe I shouldn't be surprised because the town council kept arguing about the painting of the water tower which usually resulted in it looking like a penis.

Once I got over the annoying characters, the book was a lot of fun, with the romance between the supposed pornmaker and respectable (but really hot) mayor, and the murder mystery in the background.