Wouldn’t it be every man’s dream to be paid to flirt with women? Hughie thinks he has found just this dream job. It starts with a cream-colored card secretively given to a woman to capture her attention, curiosity, and imagination. Author Kathleen Tessaro takes the reader to London to meet the charming and attractive Hughie Venables-Smythe. A would-be actor looking for work and, without realizing it, a loving relationship, Hughie doesn’t think he wants to tie himself down. In fact, he finds himself in a “no strings attached” relationship with an older woman. Leticia, who owns a rather non-traditional lingerie boutique, wants to be with Hughie only for sex and no further commitment.

Hughie answers a very unusual ad and finds himself being trained to be a “professional flirt.” He thinks it’s a good job that enables him to work on his acting skills while making some much-needed money. The job involves being assigned to flirt with a married woman to help them feel more romantic and wanted. This theoretically makes the woman feel better about herself, which should carry over into her marriage and make for a better relationship with her husband.

The husbands themselves hire “the flirt” through this business set up to meet the needs of some wealthy but discontented clients. Hugh gives the cream-colored cards discretely to the discontented wives and follows up with his charms and attention. The conflict occurs when Hughie decides to implement what seems to be working in his “profession” into his own life with Leticia. What follows is a series of events that has lives intersecting in ways that are not expected or meant to be.

Kathleen Tessaro, who gave us Elegance, brings us another comedic addition to chick lit that moves along quickly with humor and heart. The many characters introduced in each chapter add their part to the mix of this romantic romp. Some may find it hard to keep track of everyone and the parts they play in this sometimes improbable idealistic escapade. However, when read as it is meant to be - a delightfully light romantic comedy and fun beach read - the reader will be glad that they encountered The Flirt!