TIME AFTER TIME

Cass Thomson has a lot on her hands in this amusing romantic comedy set on the outskirts of London. As the live-in administrator of historic Coltsfoot Hall, a family manor turned museum, Cass must come up with a financial plan to save the estate—and her own living quarters—from the clutches of real estate developers. At the same time, the current man in her life, a sportswriter who lives for soccer games, doesn't exactly light her fire. No man, in fact, has sent her reeling the way her teenage boyfriend, Gideon Harker, did years ago, when the six-foot-four hunk in black eyeliner and leather trench coat won her heart by asking her to pierce his ear. When her 15th high school reunion rolls around, Cass goes into fits of anxiety and anticipation. Haasler (Two's Company) builds suspense and piles on the pop culture references—Thin Lizzy, Wham!, The Waltons and much more—as Cass reminisces about Gideon and the rest of her early-'80s youth. It turns out that the rebel heartthrob is now in high finance, and there's an unconvincing subplot about his possible dabbling in fraud, which has him being trailed by a tiresome, hapless detective. The blissful ending will satisfy the 30-something romance-reading set, who will also appreciate the nostalgic references (though Haasler lays it on a little thick, with each section heading titled after a pop song). This featherweight, by-the-numbers effort is as ephemeral—yet curiously appealing—as the fashions it celebrates. (Dec. 10)

Forecast:The bangles and studded armband pictured on the jacket make it clear when this novel is set. Readers who pine for the '80s and/or Cool Brittania will enjoy this easy read.