OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Wealthy, idle heroines are the norm in the historical romance genre, but they're a much harder sell in the contemporary arena. Indeed, readers may find themselves unsympathetic to the plight of New Orleans native Jonquil Livaudais Landry DeVries, a pampered, pretty socialite who has spent the year following her husband's death drowning her sorrows in a tub of ice cream while her nanny cares for her five-year-old daughter and her housekeeper keeps her historic mansion pristine. Lacking a career and a general direction in life, Jonni spends her time pondering her husband's fidelity (or lack thereof), until her twin coerces her into letting a Hollywood film crew into her home to shoot a children's flick. Jonni perks up when she meets the film's star, super rich and sexy Cameron Scott, but she can't see why he'd be interested in her. Readers may also be hard-pressed to explain the attraction. Though North (Tangled Up in Love) makes it clear that Cameron, a stereotypical bad boy with a heart of gold, wants to settle down, Jonni is a mere cipher. The drama unfolds predictably, and a passel of stock supporting characters clutter the story with clichés. In the end, the only noteworthy aspect of the novel is its sex scenes, which are spicy but not enough to make the rest of the book worthwhile. (June)