"TWITTERPATED," by Melanie Jacobson, Covenant Communications, $16.99, 247 pages (f)

Melanie Jacobson released her third, lighthearted, romantic novel to the delight of her growing fan base. “Twitterpated” — which has nothing whatsoever to do with the social media site Twitter — is a frothy book perfect for any starry-eyed romantic in search of a clean love story.

Jessie Taylor is a successful accountant and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who has immersed herself in her job to avoid facing the pain of real life. Following an unexpected and agonizing breakup with her fiancé, whom she waited for while he was serving a Mormon mission, she thrust herself into the controlled environment of her job.

When her delightful yet devious roommate, Sandy, secretly signs her up on the dating website, LDS Lookup, Jessie is appalled. She has no intentions of pursuing a relationship until she inadvertently topples into an online encounter with the witty Ben Bratton.

Ben, an attentive and attractive young business owner, is taken with Jessie from the start, but struggles to pull her out of the job-related prison she has locked herself inside. As problems at work pile higher and higher, Jessie is determined to come out on top no matter the cost.

Delighted and yet terrified by her growing attraction to Ben, Jessie is faced with the decision to throw herself into her career, or to throw it aside and follow her heart.

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This book is full of fun. While the story itself is relatively predictable, the characters are delightful. The banter between Jessie and Sandy bubbles and fizzes in a dynamic sister-like chatter with constantly contrary but supportive prattle. Ben is endearing and entertaining, the perfect complement to Jessie’s powerful but vulnerable tone.

While the story is charming in itself, those who have sampled Jacobson’s previous works — “The List” and “Not My Type” — will likely recognize the common voice shared by the main characters. Each tale is driven by a strong, determined heroine recently jaded about love and ready to move forward in life without opening her heart for further rejection. The books are enjoyable, but readers should be aware of their collective theme.

Even with that in mind, “Twitterpated” is still a tempting romance with well-crafted characters written by a gifted storyteller. It is worth a read.

Melissa DeMoux is a stay-at-home mother of six young children who lives in West Valley City. Her email is mddemoux@gmail.com and she blogs about her adventures in motherhood at demouxfamily.blogspot.com.

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