Susan Donovan

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I just love working out. Feeling the burn, flexing and bending.

Post-workout pheromone rush? Better than --

OK. I lie. About the exercise and the pheromone rush.

But, what if someone paid you a thousand bucks for every pound you lost and hooked you up with a hot, ripped personal trainer to help you lose it?

Yeah. You'd be begging to do squat thrusts, too.

Lucy Cunningham would beg for a box of Milk Duds. Our heroine's just signed on to lose 100 pounds in a year in a public relations campaign for a fitness center. You guessed it. She'll earn a grand for every pound that melts away.

Theo Redmond, buff trainer to the "beautiful people of Miami Beach," is the guy who'll help Lucy reach her goal. He'll also get a grand for every pound Lucy drops.

Theo needs the money so he can return to med school. And take care of his little brother who has Down syndrome. And find adoptive homes for all the kittens in the Miami/Dade County, Fla., animal shelter.

I lie again. I just threw in the part about the kittens.

The truth is, Theo Redmond is refreshing in that he's a "regular guy" kind of romantic hero. He's not larger-than-life, just a good man who stumbles over his feelings and mucks up his chances with Lucy.

Still, one thing is clear. Theo wants Lucy and it's written in the romantic tension that pulses throughout the novel.

"He Loves Lucy" is a terrific, entertaining book. There's a real story here -- witty, authentic and at times heart-rending -- communicated by some of the best writing in the romance genre today. Anything by Susan Donovan is a treat.

Donovan's got the writing chops to convey the ridiculous -- the unfounded embarrassment many women feel about their bodies, even after they've lost weight.

She gets how confounded a woman can be when she realizes she's still not comfortable in her own skin, even though she thought dropping those last "10" would do the trick.

What's more stunning, Donovan fleshes out the motivation behind the sentiment most of us have heard from our own men --

How can we not love our bodies? They love our bodies and are nearly desperate at times for us to understand just that.

If you've ever looked at yourself in the mirror and weren't happy with the way your (FILL IN THE BLANK ) looked, this romance is for you.

I think you'll love "He Loves Lucy. "

Go buy the book.

Look for Donovan's racy new novella, "Have Mercy," in the "Honk if You Love Real Men" anthology, out now from St. Martin's Griffin. Visit www.susandonovan.com for novel excerpts and more.

Next Week's Review and AuthorView Interview: "To Love a Thief," by Julie Anne Long.