cover image Bunco Babes Tell All

Bunco Babes Tell All

Maria Geraci. Berkley Publishing Group, $14 (344pp) ISBN 978-0-425-22758-9

A north Florida realtor with an abysmal romantic history continues her quest for a suitable man in Geraci's formulaic debut. Kitty Burke is the only single gal in her circle of friends who get together every week to gossip, play dice and drink. But then she meets Steve, a plumber and multiple divorcé who seems like a horrible Mr. Right, but an excellent Mr. Right Now. As Kitty's personal life heats up, her professional life does, too: she is offered a chance to broker a new condo development, something that will be very unpopular in her town, but very good for her pocketbook. Things, however, are not as they seem, in love or business. While genre fans will feel at home with Kitty, who is attractive, somewhat successful and, like her pals, full of quirks, her story is woefully unoriginal. This disposable diversion's good for a few laughs, but not much more.