Samantha Bartlett has vowed never again to fall for a smooth-talking hunk. So it's hate at first sight when the lovelypolice officer meets Derek Diche, a TV expos journalist she instantly decides is short on hard facts -- even if he is long on hard pecs. But then Samantha's appointed as Derek's town liaison, which means they're up-close and personal.A lot. And though she swears she'd never trust a man who specializes in Illusions, she begins to think maybe hiscool fapde is just an illusion, too... Burned out on reporting warsand disasters, Derek arrives in Paradise Beach determined to debunk a mysterious phenomenon. After all, there is no real magic in the world, and he's going to prove it. Having sexy Samantha around to tease out of her seriousness is just more of the fun, at first. But as Derek begins to bring out the woman beneath her defenses, and she begins to show him it's safe to long for enchantment, he wonders: maybe love is the best magic of all.