TAKEN – Lora Leigh
St. Martin's Griffin (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-13:  978-1-250-04545-4
August 2014
Erotic Contemporary Romance Anthology

Reno's Chance
Raven McIntire has loved Reno Chavez since she was a teenager, but when he went into the Navy and then the SEALs, he tore her heart in two.  Her father had been in the military and the fights between him and her mother lasted until he came home in a body bag.  Raven isn't willing to put her heart on the line again…until Reno comes home on leave, and he isn't taking no for an answer this time, because he is certain Raven loves him.

When Reno asks Raven if she will hurt less if they are not together and he dies, she has no reply.  Can their red hot sexual connection break down Raven's deep seated love for Reno?  Reno and Raven's love is hot and passionate, give it a chance!

For Maggie's Sake
Maggie Samuels is being questioned by the police after the death of her husband Grant when they found out that as a detective with the Atlanta Police Department he was involved with a criminal.  Everyone thinks he left papers behind and she knows where he hid the evidence of the Fuentes group.  Joe Merino loved Maggie two and half years ago before she dumped him and married his best friend. He was involved in investigating the Fuentes group with the DEA.  Why Maggie married his best friend and broke his heart he never figured out, but maybe getting her to a safe house with him for awhile will jar her memories.

Maggie's marriage ended up being a sham, but seeing Joe that night with another woman on his arm destroyed her, even though he now says he was undercover and she was a connection.  Can time spent together clear up the misunderstandings between them and bring them together?

Atlanta Heat
Mason “Macey” March has tried desperately to keep away from Emerson Delaney, because he knows he is staring at his destruction; she could own his soul with one kiss, and he didn't want to be a goner.  The biggest mistake of his life was taking a kiss from her in her godfather's, the Admiral's, study.  A kiss that got him dropped back a rank when they were caught and convinced him to stay away from her.  Until several weeks later when Delaney is kidnapped, and the Admiral knows because of what Macey feels for her, he will find her and get her back.

Macey knows just a taste of Emerson will take him down the road to giving up his bachelorhood, but Emerson can make it worth his while.  Emotion and love are integral to this story.

Night Hawk
Night Hawk is the code name for Lillian Belle, a courier with important information for the Elite Operations.  Her real identity was lost years ago, as was her contact's identity, Black Jack.  As she meets him at the bar, which is their rendezvous, she is feeling regretful and aroused by the handsome man she only supplies with information.  Black Jack has worked with Night Hawk for three years and knows that even kissing her is against all the rules.

A super short story about a couple who dare not break the rules will have you wondering exactly what happened.

Cooper's Fall
Ethan Cooper is aroused when he's in his attic and sees the woman next door lying by her pool naked and trying to satisfy herself.  Sarah Fox moved to that town in Texas purposely to live by Ethan.  When he returned from the military with shoulder and knee injuries and opened a bar in town, Sarah brought him soup and cookies, but he still called her “Miss Sarah” as if he knew she was a 24 year old virgin.

Ethan is obsessed with Sarah, and Sarah has been obsessed with him for several years.  Can Ethan approach Sarah, even though he knows she is the only women capable of touching his heart?  Sarah has secrets in her past that will take time and love to learn, and Ethan is certainly up to the task.

Sheila's Passion
Sheila Rutledge works for her father, Captain Douglas Rutledge, in his office and also obtains information from the Broken Bar, where ex military operatives gather evidence and videos of the patrons and information or gossip that they give up.  Ethan Cooper owns the bar, and Nick Casey is a bouncer and the man who is driving her crazy.  Just being around him arouses her, but she doesn't think he's in it for more than the sex.

Nick tries to give Sheila everything she wants and needs, but still she looks at him with sadness in her eyes; what more does she want from him?  But there is an unknown man looking for someone, and if it's Nick, the man has no trouble threatening Sheila to get revenge.  Nick may not be physically able to still be in the military, but no one will get past him to the woman he adores. Passion and lust throb in this story of two lovers afraid to admit their feelings for the other.

These stories feature military or law enforcement men who love with their whole minds and bodies, even though they never intended to go down that path.  Intensity of emotion is an earmark of this anthology.

Cece Johns