Pinnacle Romance (Paperback), ISBN 0786011386
Diana Garcia's Help Wanted starts out with one of my dearest fantasies: "Working Woman Seeks Housewife." What could possibly be better than that?

Single mom, Rosa Osario needs a "wife" to take care of her two school-aged boys for the summer. Brian Torres, widowed father of three-year-old Gracie, needs a summer job to tide his small family over until he gets paid for a magazine article.

Personally, I think Rosa fell for Brian's cooking rather than his hot, tight body. Brian woos Rosa not with flowers and wine, but by leaving her lunch bag filled with homemade goodies every morning. Dinner simmers on the stove at night when she returns from the wage-earner wars. Not to mention the extras -- a clean house, clean clothes and kids tired and ready for bed after a day of good, healthy fun.

But Rosa can't afford to succumb to the lure of Brian-made paradise. Her ex-husband's desertion left Rosa feeling undesirable and extremely cautious. This fails to deter Brian, who sees Rosa as exactly his kind of dish. If Rosa wants to make silly rules that leave both of them itchy, he'll follow them -- because chances are those rules leave Rosa feeling hot and bothered too.

At 158 pages, this story provides a quick but satisfying read. Garcia's tasteful love scenes will surely quicken the reader's breath. My only quibble concerns the presentation. The paperback contains both English and Spanish versions of the same story. Yet the author never provides any translation for the Spanish phrases sprinkled through the English version. Sadly, not everyone knows enough common Spanish phrases to enjoy this flavor enhancer.

Suzanne Frisbee

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