TOO MUCH TEMPTATION

The fact that its contrived plot sounds more like a fabricated story for a sex column in a glossy mag than anything that might happen in the real world—pleasingly plump, virginal 25-year-old secretary wins undying lust from her boss's bad-boy grandson—does not necessarily diminish the fun to be had in the latest contemporary romance from Foster (Sex Appeal). After Noah Harper finds the fiancée he does not love in bed with another man, he breaks off the engagement, deciding uncomplicated sex is all he needs. Besides, he was marrying Kara only to please his difficult grandmother, Agatha, whose popular Gillespe, Ky., restaurant he manages. Enter Agatha's unassuming secretary, Grace Jenkins. Insecure and inexperienced, but with a huge, unrequited crush on Noah, Grace agrees to Noah's terms: she'll become his sex slave and he'll teach her how to enjoy her body. Of course, the reader knows all along that the two will fall in love; it's merely a question of when they'll realize it themselves and what complications they'll stumble over on the path to knowledge. Billed as "a novel of erotic romance," this is harmless entertainment for readers who favor brisk romps between the sheets with a little story thrown in. It is sure to satisfy Foster's fan base—and kudos to her for making a full-figured character the star of the show. (Mar.)