All Kristabel Lewis intended to do at JC Penneys was to indulge in her shopoholism, not pick up a man. It was her birthday, and there she was on the bench surrounded by her multitude of purchases and minding her own business, when this complete stranger sat down and started flirting at her in a low, rumbling voice. He was so attractive, she couldn't believe he was talking to her, and then, she realized during the subsequent conversation, that he mistook her for some chat room persona he was supposed to meet. He introduced himself as Dirk Raynard, with the chat room nickname Rancher. It had been a long time since she had gone out but she was over her former boyfriend, the dentist. When Dirk invited her for coffee and then to go dancing, she accepted without telling him she wasn't his online girlfriend.

Dirk assumed that it was just nerves that made her tongue-tied, and that she would soon be back to her witty online self. She just wasn't as sharp in person as in the chat room. But he was attracted to her through the coffee, the dinner, the dancing--and then when the elevator jammed, they did some serious necking.
And after their one night fling (on the first date no less), he went home and told his brother Chad all about the girl he intended to marry. Chad, the actual rancher of the family, just called him a "hopeless pen-pushing, mouse-clicking computer cowboy." After their second date, Dirk noticed she seemed unclear on her computer lingo.

Krista had decided to sell her house and travel. Neither her friend Ellie nor Dirk were in agreement with that decision. But more importantly, when would Krista own up to the hard truth that she never talked to him in a chat room? The lie of omission just hung over Krista's head, waiting to be exposed. Dirk had been embezzled by a former employee; he was really against dishonesty; and the longer she waited to tell, the worse it would be. After finding out Krista's roommate Ellie was engaged to a guy in jail for embezzlement, he wondered about Ellie (and her bank teller job), and even was beginning to wonder if his sweet little Krista was so sweet after all. Then Chad logged on to Dirk's screen name, got himself his own date under Dirk's nickname, and things really got twisted. The plot is not complicated; and, while there is some sex, it is not very explicit. If you want a light, easy read, NOBODY'S ANGEL is a " sweet" type romance that will fit the bill.

Reviewed By: Allie B
© July 2004