JOSIE DAY IS COMING HOME

When Las Vegas showgirl Josie Day saves wealthy widow Tallulah Carlyle from choking to death on a martini olive, she hardly expects to receive a ranch for her efforts. But the well-meaning, and somewhat harebrained, matron insists that Josie have Blue Moon, which is conveniently located in Josie's old hometown of Donovan's Corner, Ariz., but which inconveniently already belongs to Tallulah's bad boy nephew, Luke Donovan, who's turning it into a motorcycle repair shop. Upon her arrival at Blue Moon, Josie mistakes Luke for the handyman. Luke, meanwhile, thinks Josie is a real estate lady looking to sell the place out from under him. Typical of Plumley's lighthearted romances, madcap mayhem ensues. However, Josie's initial decision to return to Donovan's Corner, the "Aqua Net–soaked, small-minded gossip haven" that once branded her disreputable, is more than unexpected; it's unbelievable. The same could be said for the townspeople's decision to just as suddenly and inexplicably embrace Josie for her false eyelashes and skimpy Spandex skirts. This unreality cripples the story from the start. A slow-paced plot doesn't help, either, nor does the heroine's penchant for atrocious knock-knock jokes. Agent, Ethan Ellenberg. (Apr.)