Closing herself off from a traumatic past, photographer Serena Macafee likes sex with no strings attached— no commitment, just pure pleasure. Her new subject, sculptor Kevin Riley, is the perfect man to fulfill her hottest fantasies. Where better than the torrid wetlands of Baton Rouge where Riley works—and plays? But as their sessions heat up, so do Serena’s intimate feelings for Kevin. And as her guard breaks down, her fears are aroused.
She’s opening herself up to emotions she never wanted, and making herself vulnerable to a past she thought she’d escaped. One that has followed her to the sweltering Southern bayou, exposing her to the twisted fantasies of someone in the shadows, and to dangers beyond her control.
I loved this book so much that I emailed the author as soon as I was done to tell her how amazing it was. Imagine my surprise when she told me that it was the first book she ever wrote. I’ve read stories of newly published authors and most of them say that their first novel will never be published b/c it’s so bad. Not so with Full Exposure. This book was good. And hawt. I’ve decided that I want a Kevin of my very own.
Serena Macafee has darkness in her soul that will never go away. After hearing her twin sister brutally murdered eleven years before, Serena does nothing more than go through the motions of life. The only thing she finds joy in is her work. Photography is her life and her passion. When she is sent to take photos of Kevin Riley, she is nowhere near prepared for the feelings he invokes in her. Kevin makes her want more and for that reason alone he is very dangerous to her.
Kevin Riley has been burned by love and has never forgotten what it felt like. Serena is different in a way that he can’t pinpoint. There is something about her that Kevin is drawn to. If he thinks it’s going to be easy to get Serena to stay in his life, he has another thing coming. Serena is the most closed off person that he’s ever met. More closed off than even he is. Kevin wants more than sex from Serena, no matter how amazing said sex is. He just has to figure out how to get her to take a chance on him.
Serena is one of those heroines that I went from liking to not liking. While I understood her reluctance to get involved with Kevin, enough is enough. In the end, I liked her b/c it became clear that she wasn’t being the martyr that I thought she was being. At first it seemed like she wouldn’t get more involved with Kevin b/c she was scared and she wasn’t going to open herself up again. What you really learn is that Serena has lived with the memories of a horrific tragedy every single day for the last eleven years. Living with that has taken its’ toll on Serena and she doesn’t want that darkness to bleed into Kevin’s life. She doesn’t want to bring him down with her.
Eventually these two figure out that while they love each other, they also have to trust each other. Oh and there’s also the matter of the stalker Serena has. Kevin isn’t too happy when he learns about that.
This book was scorching hot, yet still had a good plot. I must be on a run of good books, because this is the fourth book in a row that I’ve read that’s been this good.
4.5 out of 5.
This book is available from Berkley Heat. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
I’m jealous of your run of good books! lol Great review!
Tracy, I think I jinxed myself. I’m now on a run of so-so/blah books. LOL
This sounds really good. I’m going to add it to my list. (yes, THE list…duhn duhn duh…)
Since you sent it to me, I’ll be really nice and send it back to you.
Woot!
Casee, thanks so much for the fabulous review. I’m so glad you liked Full Exposure. It was a lot of fun to write.
Sorry about the run of so-so books. I’ve been reading a bunch of really good ones lately– of course what I I should be doing is writing my third NAL Heat–LOL! Have a fabulous afternoon.
Thank you Casee. Definitely sounds like a good book to read! And I hope your next book is a good one 🙂
Great review – I think I’ll have a closer look.
I wanted to ask though, when you email an author to tell them how much you enjoy their book, do you feel like there is some sort of fine line between being sycophantic, normal/gracious/friendly or patronising? (Or, because you blog and review books regularly, do you feel that gives you “entre” to email authors with your opinions?)
(hope that didn’t come out wrong).
I’m really curious. When I am inspired to write to an author about their books I wonder whether they will think “oh great! an(other) email from a pleased fan, how wonderful!” or whether they think “what a suck” or “who does she think she is picking apart my book [albeit in a good way] and telling me that she thinks this character’s story arc was realistic or that the sex was excellent or that it was better than her previous book….etc?”
I sit there at the end of my email and wonder whether I should send it or not – will the author be pleased (as I have intended her to be) or will she think “who do you think you are to tell me anything?”
I’m thinking it must be something to do with the tone of the email (and possibly the individual author). So, how do you “walk the line” or do you feel that there is no line?
Kaetrin, I don’t think it came out wrong at all.
I was a reader long before I was a reviewer. Before I started reviewing, I would still email authors if I loved their book. I emailed Nalini Singh after reading Slave to Sensation (and that was before I was a reviewer).
I don’t think there is a line. I don’t email to give my opinion on any specific thing. I just tell them how much I loved the book.
I think most authors are happy to hear from their fans. Sometimes it’ll be weeks and weeks before I hear back, but almost all authors (in my experience) send some sort of reply.
Thanks Casee.
I actually just received a reply from Shannon McKenna to an email I was inspired to send about her latest release Ultimate Weapon (sorry, I know it’s kind of off topic).
She sent me the nicest email back and said I’d made her day and it was nice to see that a reader “got” what she was trying to do. So now I’m like “squee!” and I’m glad I sent it because it made her feel good. (Actually, I often think that about compliments in general you know. I wonder if it will come across sounding patronising and sometimes I think about it too much and don’t say anything. But, when I do, almost invariably, the person is pleased to receive the compliment, so I guess I should learn a lesson from that!).
thanks for the site. I just found it and now I come every day!