Pillow Talk

Readers who remember those cream-puff Doris Day-Rock Hudson romantic comedies of the late 1950s and early 1960s will delight in North's (Bedroom Eyes) latest confection, a story involving a financially strapped widow with three children, faced with an offer she can't refuse. Meg McKenzie is at the end of her rope when Jules Ponthier, the scion of a wealthy New Orleans family, offers to pay her $30,000 to marry him long enough to use her spousal vote for a company buyout. Nothing to it, Meg thinks, until Jules dies within hours of their marriage, leaving her to deal with his brother, Parker, who's convinced she's a gold digger and a prostitute. All Meg wants is to go home to her children, but the Ponthiers have other plans, especially Grandfather, who turns out to be the granddaddy of all matchmakers. This witty, upbeat tale makes for an enjoyable read and should generate new fans for North. (July)