Size Matters

This mostly successful contemporary romance, set somewhere in the American South, piles on the appreciation for women of size. Sam Cooper, a gorgeous contractor with a sweet tooth, thinks bakery owner Leah Martin is delightfully curvy, but Leah keeps harping on her own weight, a habit she learned from her blithely critical mother, Nancy. To prove to Leah that she’s desirable, Sam impulsively tells Nancy that they’re engaged. Bliss’s humorous writing extends to the title, a double entendre referring as much to Sam’s rumored tiny package as Leah’s weight. Readers will cheer when Sam goes after Nancy; he may have commitment issues, but he will not allow anyone to dis his fake fiancée. Some sour moments intrude: Bliss (Playing with Fire) definitely takes Leah’s self-deprecation over the top, and an overused plot device sets the final romantic conflict in motion. Even so, two well-matched characters finding love without too much angst makes for a fun read. (Dec.)