FIVE STAR FIRST EDITION ROMANCE NEWS

The Love Game by Kay Gregory
0-7862-3036-3, $25.95, Hardcover, 190 est. pages
Publication Date: September, 2001

News Release

The Love Game is the story of two people who have always taken what they wanted from the opposite sex without regard to consequences and discover that love is anything but a game.

Quiet, efficient Tamsin Brown works as personal assistant to Nick Malahide, owner of an exclusive custom design furniture business. Nick sees Tamsin as a useful cog in the office machine. He was brought up by his father, went to an all-male school, and to him woman fall into two categories: useful or beddable.

Flamboyant, extroverted massage therapist, Dolores Rowan, is Tamsin's roommate. Because her parents are singers, she spent her childhood being shuttled between relatives. As a result, she sees all relationships as temporary. Accountant Richard Kerrigan spends his free time para-gliding and white-water rafting. As a child, he was an army brat who became used to pulling up roots, although unlike Dolores, this has made him value commitment and family ties.

When Nick suddenly realizes that Tamsin has changed, he begins to observe her more closely. Her hair is brighter and she has developed something of a "glow." Tamsin has never been impressed by the constant stream of women who drift in and out of Nick's life, and she hasn't allowed herself to notice his blatant sexuality. The "glow" is caused by Tamsin's new boyfriend, Paul. Tamsin insists on maintaining a businesslike distance from Nick. He is amused, challenged and frustrated now that his interest has been piqued.

Richard doesn't believe that Dolores is capable of lasting love, but he can't stay away from her. Dolores is convinced that Richard will never accept her as she is. She decides to end the affair before he does and tells him it is over between them. He is devastated but accepts her decision.

Eventually, Richard and Nick decide it's time for Tasmin and Dolores to come to their senses and together plot a drastic maneuver to convince the two women they are truly loved.