Cupid on the Loose

Aspiring author Billy Spiers tends to fall passionately in love, but soon, finding something missing, fall quickly out again. His grandmother, who raised him, thinks he needs to settle down and find a mate. When Billy’s on the verge of ending yet another relationship, his grandmother decides to do some well-intentioned meddling.

Kari Porter is not only smart and beautiful but also a writer with passions and sensibilities similar to Billy’s. She loves the same kind of stories, quotes lines from his favorite old poems and songs, and has similar unique takes on Shakespeare—is this the kindred spirit he’s been longing for? Sparks fly, and soon the two are lingering over dinner and taking romantic sunset bike rides along the California coast. They even manage to matchmake their four closest friends.

But artistic types can be overly sensitive. As their relationship rapidly progresses, they become afraid of moving too fast—and of getting hurt. Kari becomes distant, dealing with a crisis she feels she can’t share with Billy, while Billy responds with crazy drastic actions that he thinks might salvage the relationship. Billy’s grandmother can’t help meddling again, sending all three couples to a magical mountain lodge where she and her husband fell madly in love decades before. Mayhem ensues when the enigmatic and impish proprietor of the lodge introduces passion-fueled havoc, pushing the young lovers—inadvertently—in bizarre directions.

A twenty-first-century twist on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cupid on the Loose is a delightful romp that takes an entertaining and humorous look at the foibles of infatuation, lust, and romantic love.