First up is Jaid Black's 
One Dark Night (Berkley). Dr. Nikki Adenike has a secret life online--she yearns to submit to a strong man and has been hunting for just the right one. Too bad he turns out to be a serial killer and she barely escapes with her life. Thomas Cavanah is the detective assigned to the case, and when he takes her into hiding, things get really interesting. If you're a regular reader here, you'll already know I'm a fan of good erotic romance. If you're a reader of erotic romance, you may recognize the author's name from the genre, in particular, from Ellora's Cave. If you're not a fan of erotic romance, you'll probably want to skip this one. The language is sometimes raw--and the "daddy/little girl" stuff frankly gave me the creeps--and the sex is explicit. Aside from some of the "endearments" used by these characters, though, I liked this one. On the other hand, the identity of the bad guy didn't come as a real big shock. But chances are, if you're reading erotic romance, you're not reading it for the mystery. I'm borrowing four of Cupid's five arrows for this one.
Next is Julia London's 
Beauty Queen (Berkley). Rebecca Lear, former Miss Houston, is the second sister to have her story told in this series. Trying to start her life fresh after the end of her marriage, she meets up with Matt Parrish on a campaign. Let the fighting begin. And not just fighting between Matt and Rebecca but her parents as well. I wanted to like this one. There are parts of it I did like--like their interaction with her son. But most of it just didn't do anything for me unfortunately. I'm only giving this one two arrows.
Finally is Anna Jeffrey's 
The Love of a Stranger (Onyx). Alex McGregor just wants to be left alone in her cabin, on her mountain. Her ex-husband isn't making that easy, though, and when her ex's girlfriend shows up on her mountain with some guy, intent on a tryst, Alex isn't having it. Doug Hawkins is shocked when his truck is attacked. But when he gets to know this wary woman, he wants to know more. Their path is not easy, but if it was easy, would we want to read on? I liked Ms. Jeffrey's last book and I liked this one, too. Her characters are multi-faceted and their stories compelling. I'm giving this one four arrows as well.
Until next time, happy reading!
