Although I read very little erotic romance, I’ve become a fan of Harlequin Blaze. The Blaze line is probably quite tame in comparison to many erotic romances on the market, but they are just spicy enough for my taste. There are a couple of very talented authors writing for this line and Kathleen O’Reilly is one of them. I enjoyed last year’s O’Sullivan Brothers trilogy and Hot Under Pressure lived up to my high expectations.
Boutique owner Ashley Taylor hates flying. Her next destination is L.A., but she doesn’t seem to be leaving Chicago O’Hare airport any time soon. Seated near The Toddler From Hell, Ashley is resigned for an equally hellacious flight. Until her sexy seat companion shows up…
David McLean also travels a lot for his job as a Wall Street financial analyst. A veteran of a particularly bitter divorce, David is in no mood for a serious relationship. Sex, however, is another matter. When he’s seated next to a very pretty woman on the flight to L.A., he has no intention of seducing her. Fate, however, intervenes. When the flight is cancelled due to technical problems, David and Ashley are offered the perfect opportunity to have an impromtu one-night stand at the airport hotel.
As neither David nor Ashley is the one-night stand type, and they’re having no luck in the post-divorce dating scene, they decide to meet up on a subsequent business trip. This being a romance, naturally their affair grows to love. Unfortunately, they have several obstacles to overcome before they can achieve their Happy Ever After.
Overall, I liked this romance. The first third is brilliant. While the rest of the book doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the first few chapters, I enjoyed the development of Ashley and David’s relationship. I was not fond of the use of internal dialogue with Ashley’s sister but I tried to block that out. Another criticism I have is that Ashley’s decision to commit to David drags on a little too long. I appreciated the author’s efforts to make Ashley and David’s complicated family dynamics as realistic as possible, especially the fact that not all of their problems are miraculously solved by the end of the book.
This is a fun, sexy read and fans of less explicit erotic romance will enjoy it. Grade: B
{ 5 comments }
Hi Sarah,
The last time I picked up a Harlequin was in my tweens! Three years ago I think I sold me 1250 harlequins, tons of money spend to buy them and I got a measly 30 euro’s in return. Anyway, this sounds like a nice intermezzo Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Sounds like a fun read. Just like Leontine I used to read a lot of Harlequin novels in my tweens, I always think of them as the so-called doctor romance novels LOL… but now I will check this blaze line out, great review!
@Leontine @Marissa
Snap! I remember those doctor romances, along with all the millionaire tycoons, pregnant virgin secretaries, and so on. Harlequin/Mills & Boon were the first romances I ever read. My tastes have evolved a lot since those days, and I hadn’t bought any of their books for years before I discovered the Blaze line. Blaze are basically shorter, sexy contemporaries (although I believe they have a few historical ones as well). Kathleen O’Reilly is a great author, as is Sarah Mayberry.
I think I’m going to have to get me this one! I’ve heard good things about it and when a Blaze is done well — I find it’s done very well
@KristieJ I hope you enjoy it!