REVIEW: Laid Bare by Cerise Deland

ISBN 9781419927171

Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense

(c) January 2010, Ellora's Cave

Cerise Deland's website

Rating: 3.5 stars

Buy Link (ebook): Jasmine Jade, Barnes and Noble Ebook

"Gripping, suspenseful story with a huge dose of hot, sizzling attraction"

Tate Ryder has been in lust with Anna Stephens since the woman came to work for him two years ago. However, he was crushed when she didn't seem to return his regard, even though he had this strict rule about not getting involved with his staff. All that was forgotten when he saw Anna being attacked outside his condo.

Anna hid a deep, dark secret, the reason for which she's kept Tate at a distance all this time despite being attracted to him. And in Tate's attempt to keep her safe, he would be drawn into her world of danger.

Cerise Deland writes a gripping, suspenseful story and topped it with hot, sizzling attraction between the characters. The clues were all there in the story, if you knew to look for them. The action really heated up from the time Tate and Anna arrived in Mexico and didn't let up until the villains were caught. The suspense gripped me so much I had to finish the book or else.

I think Anna is a great heroine--smart and gutsy and unwilling to put the ones she loved in danger. What she had to go through alone, the terror and having no one to lean upon, made her strength believable. Still, I did wonder why she decided to trust a certain person when her experiences told her that no person is to be trusted. Look how she put Tate at arms' length for two years. But perhaps, in a moment of weakness and loneliness, she decided she needed a friend.

With regard to the romance between Tate and Anna, I would liked more development of their feelings with more interaction (instead of just sex) between them. Seems though that the two-year attraction and working relationship were made to serve in this capacity. Yet how much do they really know about the other? I also feel that there were times when Anna just needed to be held and comforted, but Tate decided that sex was the answer.

Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and looked forward to more from this author.

Buy Link (ebook): Jasmine Jade, Barnes and Noble Ebook