By day, Rory Egglehoff is a mild-mannered accountant. By night, she's Princess Leia.

Well, no. She's not. But she is a die-hard Star Wars fan who swears by the Force (literally), goes to sci-fi conventions in costume, and ranks Yoda as a philosopher of equal standing with such greats as Confucius and Aristotle. It's a good thing, too, because Rory has a problem that it will take the Ultimate Jedi Plan to tackle. That problem's name is Hunter Chase. Rory has been in love with him since first grade, and now he's working on a project with her boss. It's the perfect opportunity to finally get him to notice her... if she can run a gauntlet of obstacles that resembles Luke Skywalker's flight down the Death Star's trench with Darth Vader in murderous pursuit.

There are no Dark Lords in Rory's life, but there's a Wookie: Her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Tom. Rory can't quite bring herself to dump him, because if she does, she'll be attending her high school reunion stag -- not to mention backing out on a promise she's made Tom to dress up as Princess Leia for the Creatures and Features Convention. Will Rory take the plunge and pursue her Jedi Knight, or are her chances slimmer than those of a tauntaun trying to survive a Hoth winter?

A casual knowledge of the original Star Wars trilogy will help the reader truly enjoy this book, but even those who aren't hardcore fans will find something to enjoy in THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY MEN I'VE DATED. Rory is a quirky, sympathetic heroine that reminds us all of our most infamous moments in grade school, our most hopeless high school crushes, and our most extravagant daydreams. Readers will be rooting for her to make the right choices, cheer when she does, and cringe when she doesn't. This debut novel by Ms. Bolks (whose secret Jedi name is Shana Galen) is fun, light reading with a good message, and a reminder that there's a little bit of geek in all of us. Enjoy it -- and may the Force be with you!