Kiss And Tell by Donna Hay

York-based author Donna Hay's first novel Waiting In The Wings was so full of gorgeous men, the Evening Press wrote a year ago, that reading it could seriously damage your self esteem.

Her second book, Kiss And Tell, is equally full of hunks. But this time, they're more vulnerable hunks. Soap star Brett is all biceps, sleeveless T-shirts and shaven heads - remind you of anyone? But to make up for being voted - in Donna's fictional soap world at least - the 'sexiest man on TV', he's as thick as muck and has bad breath to boot. No real competition there.

Marcus is obviously too good to be true from the moment he wafts on to the set of Donna's York-based fictional soap Westfield, Irish wolfhound Murphy in tow. He's tall, narrow-hipped and 'totally gorgeous' (there's that word again) in a constantly-pushing-his-flopping-blond-hair-out-of-his-eyes sort of way. But his sense of commitment would make Robbie Williams seem dependable and - worst of all - he's a closet toff.

Richard, the novel's true hero, is tall, dark and smoulderingly handsome - but also cripplingly shy and reserved in that Mr Darcy sort of way that makes him seem insufferably arrogant.

Stage set for Jo, disorganised single mum and touchingly un-selfconfident Westfield star, to make a fool of herself by falling for all the wrong men before finding true love at last in Richard's arms.

Donna used to be a soap writer for national magazines and she knows the world inside out. 'Kiss and Tell' is a gloriously comic look at the behind-the-scenes bitchiness and back-stabbing of the soaps - and a wonderful old-fashioned romance for our times as well. Great stuff.

Stephen Lewis