Kate Evans has plenty of domesticity keeping up with her siblings and then there's the class she teaches... she's doing a shopping run when, with spring in Idaho missing, she slips on ice and falls. On hand to pick her up is a local man on leave from the army, and she'd rather he hadn't seen the personal items falling out of her purse. Griffin Reid is home for a wedding, and he's not above teasing. RUMOUR HAS IT that Kate, who dreams of taking a science course, is actually prone to being used by self- centred guys. Griffin, remembering her as a sweet girl from school, has no intention of doing the same.

For some reason Kate has no date for her best friend's wedding, and she gets recklessly drunk at a pre-wedding party and allows Griffin to kiss her. She's cross with herself the next day, but when Griffin comes down with a migraine, legacy of an explosion while on active service, he's the one who needs help. Then of course there's a wedding to attend, and Kate is bridesmaid. The morning of the wedding starts badly however when she feels certain that someone is stalking her on her daily run....

Griffin is a loner - now, anyway, who has family issues and a good friend, but his injuries include a perforated eardrum and vertigo besides the migraine. He's got skills though, and doesn't hesitate to use them. Holly has been putting off her science course because of family responsibilities, but when life doesn't run smoothly she decides to go for it once and for all. Sometimes getting a crush on someone works out in an unexpected way.

Jill Shalvis is the author of other romance series and there is an excerpt from Animal Magnetism at the end of this book. If you fancy reading about a teacher, her young pupils and best friends, and what she learns about herself, RUMOUR HAS IT will keep you interested. It's an adult romance with more focus on life lessons than the bedroom and Shalvis is adept at creating very real characters, imperfect enough to be our friends.