I don’t know much about cycling, so it was with some trepidation that I picked up Head Over Heels. Fortunately, neither does Magee Sinclair, the main protagonist, which put me at my ease straight away, and I settled in for the ride with a girl I could relate to.

Justin Kane is poised to secure a contract with Willoughby Bikes that will allow him to expand Cyclemania, his Mountain Bike store chain. All he needs to make his dream come true is to show Nate and Kate Willoughby that he has it all together, and this includes a stable relationship with his girlfriend Tina. Only days before their arrival, however, Tina hits him with a bombshell – despite their agreement to have fun with no strings attached, she now wants marriage and babies, and dumps Justin over the phone. Desperate not to let his dream slip away, Justin persuades his attractive but clumsy advertising consultant, Magee Sinclair, to pretend to be Tina and come mountain biking with the Willoughbys.

Magee blames herself for her family’s advertising company falling into the red, and in desperation to land Justin Kane’s business, she feigned a love of mountain biking to get him to sign on with her. This deceit lands her in a tricky position, however, when Justin presents her with his problem, and her role in the solution. Knowing that if Cyclemania wins, Sinclair Advertising wins as well, she agrees to masquerade as Tina, despite the strong attraction that she feels for Justin. After all, it’s only for one weekend – she can keep it together and stay focused on business for one weekend, right? And maybe Justin won’t notice that she has no idea how to ride a mountain bike and realise that she’s a fraud.

This is one of the most enjoyable contemporary romances that I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time, with believable and complex characters and an easy writing style. Our two likeable and quirky protagonists banter their way around lies, deceit, and a growing attraction to each other as they try to hold their respective businesses together. I couldn’t put the story down.

You don’t have to have a clue about mountain biking to enjoy Cindy Proctor-King’s Head Over Heels. Once hooked, it was a bumpy ride over stones, scree, the occasional rough terrain, and a few mud baths, but ultimately ended with the satisfaction of a warm shower and a fluffy bathrobe.

Reviewed By Melinda Stanners
© April 2006