Book Review

Sexy/Dangerous by Beverly Jenkins, HarperTorch, Nov 2006, 343 pages, $6.99, ISBN 978-0-06-081899-9

Two Rottweilers and a gun. What more could a girl want? In this romantic thriller, those are all the good things in life, at least until Maxine “Max” Blake, ex-marine and ex-cop with the attitude to prove it, meets scientist Dr. Adam Gary. He’s designed a top-secret world-revolutionizing piece of technology; she’s the government agent sent to protect him from those who seek to kill him and steal his work. A South African terrorist group in particular has their scope locked on Adam’s prototype with the intent to use it in acts of terrorism to restore apartheid South Africa. But Adam doesn’t want her protection and Max is determined he’ll get it; come broken water pipes, a mouthy assistant with marriage mind, a house falling to chaos, or sharpshooter snipers.

Through home cooking and great, long legs, Max slowly wins Adam over, as he wins her own himself. But after two divorces, Max isn’t looking for anything serious, even if the long, sweet lovin’ blows both their minds. Max isn’t sure she wants to give up The Life, swatting mosquitoes in third world jungles, taking out bad guys, that’s what she lives for. And Adam only wants to research and design, not be tied down, even by some fine lookin’ sistah. Especially one as dangerous as Max, a spook, and a killer. But Max’s first priority is to keep Adam alive long enough for either of them to admit what they have goes deeper than just between the sheets.

From high-amped car chases across the state of Michigan to the White House, Sexy/Dangerous is hot from first page to last. Jenkins’ style and sense of pacing makes the story feel like visiting with your best girlfriends and riding along with James Bond all at once. Sexy/Dangerous ties into Jenkins’ previous work, The Taming of Jessi Rose and A Chance At Love, as well as the companion book, Deadly Sexy, featuring Max’s sister, JT, another addition to Jenkins’ string of strong-willed woman loving men who prove worthy of them.