Phi Beta Bimbo

Rating:
Summary: A Story Stuffed Full of Phi Beta Laughs
Review: Leah Smith, who has just received her doctorate in Sociology wants to put her education and her theories to the test so she decides to see who would get the job at her brother Steve's cosmetic company, Just Peachy, a busty blond bimbo or a flat chested, smart as a whip, plain Jane. She applies for a job as the company receptionist as both stacked and flashy Candi Deveraus and as Leah Smith, plain and overqualified. And guess what, they both get the job on a trial basis.

But Leah isn't the only one at Just Peachy who is sometimes one person and sometimes another. Her brother Steve has a financial backer who insists that a cosmetic company must be run by a woman, so Steve invented a twin sister for himself. So sometimes he is the head honcho, or rather honchette, named Stephanie and at other times he plays himself as the financial advisor. Once Steve earns enough money to buy out the backer he plans to throw away Stephanie's high heels forever.

To further complicate Steve's live a competing company, Apple Blossom Cosmetics, has launched a number of new products that bear suspicious resemblances to his own products. Kate Bloom the CEO of Apple Blossom denies it, but Steve isn't buying it, even if he is attracted to her. So he hires an ex-FBI agent turned security consultant named Mark Colson to investigate. Mark notices right off the bat that Leah has two different identities, and she becomes his number one suspect, despite the fact that he is strongly attracted to her.

Leah, who only wanted to further her sociological studies, finds herself attracted to Mark as well and winds up acting as bait to catch the spy. Mark is as stubborn as any man alive, maybe even a little over the top, plus there is a whole lot of other stuff going on in this outrageously funny novel that I don't have room to mention here, but if anybody can juggle two different identities, an ex-FBI man and keep everything straight it's definitely a Phi Beta Bimbo.

Rating:
Summary: PHI BETA BIMBO is a cross dressing laugh out loud romp.
Review: Sociology graduate student Leah Smith decides to conduct a comparative analysis research study for her doctorate; her subject is to compare a bimbo to a nerd in the work place. To obtain data, Leah accepts two interviews under different names for employment at Just Peachy, her brother's cosmetics firm.

For one appointment she arrives dressed and acting like a "classic" bimbo; for the other she behaves as a nerd. Her sibling Steve hired security specialist Mark Colson to determine who in his successful company is selling secrets to competitors. Mark notices that the bimbo and the nerd are the same person. Leah is his prime suspect for why else would she pretend to be two other people besides herself.

The anecdotal approach seems lacking in terms of statistics, but not in terms of a wacky wonderful contemporary romance. The story line is fun as Leah as the student, the bimbo, and the nerd drives Mark to distraction. Though he suspects she is the culprit, he also finds he loves her in her two distinctive poses, but mostly for her energetic self. Adding to the insanity is that Steve to succeed in a female world comes up with Stephanie as his alter ego. PHI BETA BIMBO is a cross dressing laugh out loud romp.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Phi Beta Bimbo
Review: To prove that when men assess women their top criteria is her sex appeal, Leah Smith conducts an experiment, donning a bimbo-esque disguise to interview for a job in her brother's company then interviewing as herself. Making it more interesting is wager she and Steve make on the outcome. Steve's security expert picks up on the fact that both Candi- with an i and Leah are the same person immediately, especially when Candi's disguise- deflates. However, not letting on that he knows, Mark tries to date both versions of her to see if she is the mole in Steve's cosmetic company. Mark does not realize, though, that Leah is merely carrying on a family tradition of going incognito; for corporate purposes, her macho brother is also his own twin sister.

**** If you resolved to exercise this year, laughter is a great exercise, so pick up this book- and you can read and exercise at the same time by giggling. This story works on two levels, basic laugh out loud humor and sharp satire that appeals to the intelligence as well. ****