I started this book during lunch on a work day. Big mistake because it immediately sucked me in, and all I wanted to do for the rest of the day was go home and finish the book. Talk to Me has some of the strongest, wittiest dialogue I’ve read in a while. I smiled when I started it and I finished it smiling.

What are the odds of ending up in the studio audience of a Sally Jessy Raphael-like talk show with the ex-husband you haven’t seen in nine years? Kara Taylor thinks they’re pretty slim, but that’s just what happens to her. She and her ex end up in a lively debate that will air in front of several million people. Travis Malloy is just as shocked as Kara is, maybe even more so when they are discovered by a producer in the audience who wants Travis and Kara to host their own show.

Kara’s family undergarment business is about to go under. She’s got a secret life going as publisher and model of the Mystery Woman lingerie catalog to get some much needed cash to save the business and her grandmother’s home. That’s also the reason she agrees to do the talk show and to approach Travis and talk him into it.

Freed creates chemistry between Travis and Kara the minute they open their mouths. We also figure out what their problems were as soon as they start their nationally televised discussion. Travis and Kara never really talked, and, as a result, big misunderstandings ended their marriage.

Kara is a smart, strong woman who’s doing what she needs to to try to save her grandmother the pain of losing her family home, but she needs to lighten up a little. Travis is a yummy man who needs a little enlightenment. They’re perfect for each other. My favorite parts of the book are when they are debating.

Freed also creates memorable secondary characters in Travis’ three brothers (we get stories about them, too, later. Yippee!) and father, Kara’s friend Lisa, and their producer. I especially liked the brothers, particularly their joking, fighting, talking, breathing…you get the point. Kara’s grandmother is a sweet woman who makes a good reason for Kara to try anything to save the business and home.

There are some minor flaws, however. When we finally learn why Kara and Travis separated and divorced, they seem kind of silly. The lack of communication that separates men and women in all too many romances occurred here as well. Just one little phone call would have cleared things up. Kara’s thinking that she was unlovable also seemed a little weak. Workable, but weak.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next books about the Malloy brothers. I hope each one gets a heroine as perfect for them as Kara is for Travis. If you haven’t discovered Jan Freed yet, now is a great time to do so.