Liquid Silver Books, $5.95, ISBN 978-1-59578-407-0
Contemporary Romance, 2007

Let Me Count the Ways is written in a “He said, she said” manner. Which is to say, Mike Sherman and Claire Calhoun both take turns to narrate the story from their point of view.

Claire was once one of Hollywood’s most successful actress but today she can be considered a “has-been”. She manages the successful yoga studio, The Body Electric, which she has put all her time and money into after her divorce. Mike is her accountant and also one of her most devoted fans. These two have respected professional boundaries so far, but one evening Claire has this crazy idea that she’s up for a fling with Mike. Oh dear.

This one is a pretty enjoyable story, what with Claire being the one who has been around the block and Mike being the prim and proper fellow with a naughty side. These two have some pleasant chemistry together. There is a nice balance of sex and playful, more romantic moments in their relationship and I have fun following them to their happy ending.

I also like how the author allows her characters to remain true to form without making too many concessions to the romance novel formula. Claire, for example, does not yearn for a “normal” life. She makes no apologies for being an actress once or enjoying her affairs in the past. While I often find that authors dropping the names of actors as a way to describe how their characters look like too much of a shortcut, I like what Ms Forte does here. She has Claire comparing Mike to Brian Dennehy, for example, but Claire describes why she thinks the comparison is apt, and in such a lovely way too that for a moment I find myself thinking that maybe every woman should have her own Brian Dennehy.

The only downside I can find here is that the characters could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but I have to admit, they are fun together.

Simply put, Let Me Count the Ways is a most pleasant read.