TEMPT ME TWICE

Far-fetched, formulaic and flat, this lightweight Regency provides few thrills but plenty of melodrama. In an effort to stop talented sketch artist Gabriel Kenyon and her father, Henry, from journeying to Africa in search of a ruined city, 16-year-old Kate Talisford offers herself to Gabe only to be summarily rejected. Four years later, Gabe returns to inform Kate and her younger sister of their father's death and finds that Sir Charles, a friend of Henry's, has already imparted the news. Still angry with Gabe for spurning her, Kate is stunned to learn that her father asked him to be their guardian, especially since Sir Charles claims that he was charged with the task. Kate knows that one of the men is lying; predictably, she assumes that it is Gabe. Even after Gabe reveals that Sir Charles killed her father to get his hands on a priceless statue, Kate remains distrustful of him. Nonetheless, she agrees to take part in a harebrained scheme to retrieve the statue and falls in love with Gabe while carrying out the plan. The narrative's clichéd dialogue and numerous cliffhanger endings only contribute to the novel's exaggerated feel, and the histrionics of Smith's (Romancing the Rogue) headstrong characters will alienate rather than engage the reader. (Sept.)

Forecast:Smith will be lucky if readers are tempted even once by this offering.