Love Lies Beneath

When 40-year-old Tara is injured in a skiing accident in Lake Tahoe, she doesn't waste any time asking her gorgeous attending doctor, Calvin, for his phone number. This leads to a whirlwind romance and engagement, but as the wedding date gets closer, Tara grows more suspicious of her fiancé. His 17-year-old son is doing his best to flirt with Tara and to bring his father's exes, all beautiful and leggy, to her house. Tara has already been married multiple times and has no desire to be a stepmother, but if the boy keeps feeding her mangoes (which she is deathly allergic to), the marriage might not happen. Tara is not a likable character—she's pushy, rude, self-obsessed, and jealous. But she's perfect for new adults who enjoy watching Bravo TV's Real Housewives. After the multiple orgasms in the opening chapters, Tara tries to settle into her relationship, even as she hires a private detective to check up on her fiancé, and deals with threatening anonymous messages. The mystery about who is behind the scare tactics wraps up too easily, as does the entire book. But readers who have grown up reading Hopkins will appreciate Tara and her issues, which stem from her growing up in Las Vegas strip clubs with an inattentive mother. Written in prose with nine poems interspersed throughout, this work will have chick lit fans anticipating the sequel.