Tuesday, April 28

Honey Trap - Julie Cohen

Sophie Tennant is an ex-bobby turned private investigator. Although she imagined, when she started, that she'd spend her days tracking down missing persons and helping people, her work is predominantly acting as a honey trap - women who suspects their partners of cheating hire her to tempt them. When a case she was already dubious about - she was hired by the woman in question's wealthy father to check out a sleazy fiance - turns sour and Sophie comes within a whisker of being raped, she decides to give up on both investigations and London.
Five years later Sophie's an aromatherapist in a small country town. Her gift for getting people to open up hasn't left her, but those who confide their secrets then feel uncomfortable around her and Sophie's having trouble keeping her business afloat. When washed up rocker Max de Milo hires her for his group's tour of the UK she's delighted. Until she discovers that Dominick Steele, '80s burn out and the first man she ever trapped, has joined the band. She was attracted to him then, despite herself, but could never be involved with a cheater. And Dominick blames her for the dissolution of his marriage, making for a hostile travel environment.
Honey Trap is an interesting and absorbing romance. Sophie's more complicated than the average chick lit heroine, and Cohen combines a mystery with the romance while creating an absorbing larger plot. The novel criss-crosses in time, flashing back to her honey pot experiences between the current plot unfolding, which maintains the tension and allows Sophie and Dominick's characters to be revealed in a more interesting way.
I liked this very much and look forward to reading more of Cohen's work. - Alex

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