The life of the super model must be great. Everyone recognizes your name and face. You get all free couture clothing and shoes. Admittance to sold-out events and reservations at restaurants and snobby clubs are no problem; then there’s the dating pool. Everyone knows that beautiful people hang with their kind. When could it possibly be not a good thing to be a super model? Perhaps when you’re a model on the down swing? Madison Worth, the heroine of Shirley Jump’s novel, Pretty Bad, knows exactly how it feels.

A tiny sliver of cake propels Madison into social Siberia. No one is calling her for fashion shows or cosmetic ads. Beautiful socialite model Madison Worth never realizes her poor hand and eye coordination would make her a spokesperson for a small cheese farm in the Berkshires. Her agent insists she take the Cheese Pleese contract and work her way back into the modeling limelight. With the rent due, and her Mercedes acting up, it looks like ‘dairy country, here she comes’.

Rugged Jack Pleeseman is determined to save his family-run business. Taking a page from a marketing handbook, Jack decided to hire the gorgeous model Madison Worth to promote his cheese. Sure, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she looks amazing in a bikini. He only looks at the Sports Illustrated layout on the behalf of the company. He wants to do what’s best for the company and if he is forced to look at some ditzy model’s mile-long legs, he can do it. It’s not as if he’ll be involved with her. He’s smarter than that.

Madison didn’t expect the Cheese Pleese to be so in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t help that the handsome hired hand isn’t making her job any easier. Just about that time, Madison decided she isn’t a diva, and then the hired hand reveals he’s Jack Pleeseman. Even a non-diva can only take so much, especially when she finds herself drawn to her rude employer. It’s “Adios,” as she hits the door. The bad thing about making a good exit is when it is ruined when she needs to come crawling back.

As if it isn’t enough to have Madison Worth giving him the cold shoulder, factor in his father, who thinks no good can come from hiring a model. His ex-wife is in town and is getting weird about signing over custody of their daughter because Madison is around. Then there is his brother who thinks he should sleep with Madison. Everyone seems to have an opinion including his slightly offbeat aunt who wanted to consult Elvis about the right thing to do. All he knows for sure is if he has to be around the woman a minute longer, it will kill him. Dying never looked so good.

Pretty Bad crackles with sexual tension as Madison and Jack circle each other in an awkward and often comical mating dance. A vengeful neighbor determined to see the Cheese Pleese company fail only ratchets up the tension a degree more. Then there is Aunt Harriet who has personal conversations with the king, which add a touch of whimsical charm. Then there are a good dozen recipes inserted between the chapters that all feature cheese.

Pretty Bad is a delicious concoction of oddball characters, cows and true love. The tension stays up until the very last page. As a former dairy farm worker, I can affirm that Ms. Jump was on target with her cheese-making entries. Super story—don’t miss it.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© December 2007