Reading Romances Challenge - June - Who Do You Think You Are?

June's challenge focuses on "Who do you think you are? – One of a couple isn’t who he or she appears to be on the surface or pretending to be someone else or disguised." I picked up Double Dipping by Marilyn Brant, where the hero is much more than the small-town school financial director he wants everyone to believe he is.

Who needs a man when you have a pint of fresh Wisconsin ice cream and full access to Cary Grant on The Movie Channel?

That's what second-grade teacher and MGM-devotee Caitlin Walsh believes. After being left at the altar by her ambitious rat of an ex-fiancé, Cait has rededicated her life to her students and to the citizens of small-town Ridgewood Grove. 

But when the school's new financial director, Garrett Ellis, cancels the much-beloved Harvest Hoopla festival, Cait rallies the staff to fight the decision, which puts her in direct conflict with the most formidable man she's ever encountered.

As a reluctant heir to the Ellis Fruit and Nut Gift Basket Empire and the second son of one of the country's most affluent families, Garrett has a penchant for mixing sweet edibles with acts of love. He also has an undercover agenda: to find the person responsible for stealing the district money and to right the situation, while keeping his family background to himself. But in the process, he faces the one woman who challenges his longtime resistance to commitment.

Both Cait and Garrett end up secretly snooping into each other's past: Garrett looking for the thief, Cait uncovering Garrett's private family history and his prior girlfriends -- one of whom turns out to be someone very unexpected... 

Love and family complications abound in this small-town contemporary romance with a little humor, a light mystery and a lot of sweet ice cream.

Let me say this: No one can incorporate food into romance like Marilyn Brant  especially when it comes to ice cream! The chemistry between the characters is sometimes rivaled by their relationship with food. But oh so delicious it is. This is a delightful romance with a lot of heart and a quirky cast of small-town characters. I'm a big Marilyn Brant fan, and as usual, she has penned a winner!