X MARKS THE SPOT – Opal Carew
St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 978-1-250-11680-2
April 2018
Erotic Romance

New York and the Caribbean – Present Day

Abi is on the brink of finalizing her divorce from Liam; it only needs to be signed by him. As she arrives at a country inn for her brother's wedding, she's aware that Del, a man she's deeply attracted to, will be there too and his suite is changed to be next to hers. But Liam shows up also, much to her dismay. He wants her back, but she is adamant that their marriage is over. Abi decides to surprise Del by waiting for him in his bed that night. He comes into the darkened room and undresses and gets into the bed. As they start to make love, Abi realizes this isn't Del, but Liam. But the sexual attraction is too hard to resist, and they make love. The next day, she again rebuffs Liam, letting him know she is in love with Del. Abi might have thought that'd be the end of it, but she soon learns she's pregnant with his child.

Abi and Liam married a few years ago because she got pregnant, but she lost the baby. In the aftermath, their marriage began to crumble as she felt he wasn't supportive of her grief at losing the baby. In truth, he was suffering his own pain. After years of being unhappy in her marriage, Abi decides to break it off between them, but since then, Liam has been trying to win her back. She thinks the only thing they have is good sex, that there is no real love. Meanwhile, she's has been attracted to Del for years, though they're just friends…at this point. At that weekend wedding, Del learns about her having sex with Liam and gets angry. But they're reunited when Abi learns she's pregnant—Del was the one she ran to with the news. They become lovers and embark on a plan for a future together: get her divorce final from Liam and then marry. But Liam discovers her secret and demands that she spend three weeks with him and if they can't save their marriage, he'll agree to the divorce. Abi throws in her own demand: Del must come also.

In X MARKS THE SPOT, we get a woman torn between two men. What will her decision be? Or can she have both? Abi and Del had a great friendship that wasn't sexual, while her relationship with Liam was purely sexual. However, an accidental pregnancy has her marrying Liam. She miscarried, and it drove a wedge between them. She looked to him for support and instead felt isolated. It was Del who stepped in and their friendship deepened. The divorce papers are drawn up and only needs Liam's signature, but he's resisting. Abi is not sure why, because she's made it clear she doesn't want to go back to him.

Liam has a hard time expressing his emotions. He suffered from losing their child and withdrew into himself, which led to the breakup of their marriage. Del has always stood outside their marriage, as a friend only, but hopes he might have a chance with Abi once her divorce is final. Just as she makes the move toward him, Liam is back in the picture. Can either man win Abi?

As they grapple with how to proceed, it soon becomes clear in X MARKS THE SPOT that both Liam and Del may have to share Abi. This tale has plenty of back and forth sex as she goes from one man to the other. In the end, will it be a shared sexual relationship? With plenty of hot sex, readers will need an icy cold drink to get through X MARKS THE SPOT.

Patti Fischer