STRIPPED – Tara Wyatt
Blue Heat , Book 1
Avon Impulse
ISBN: 978-0-062792587
May 2018
Contemporary Romance

Atlanta, Georgia – Present Day

Police detective Sawyer Matthews recently lost his partner and best friend, Ryan, who was murdered by a member of the drug cartel that they were investigating. While out one night in a bar, Sawyer hooks up with a beautiful woman and they spend several hours together burning up the sheets. But unbeknownst to both of them, it turns out she's his new partner. Oh, boy. Now Sawyer has to spend hours alone with her and he's not sure he'll be able to keep his hands off her.

Brooke Simmons has worked hard to get promoted to the Blue Heat, a special unit of investigators in the Atlanta police department.  When she walks into the precinct on her first day of work and comes face to face with Sawyer, aka her one-night stand, she realizes she better make sure it doesn't happen again or she faces losing her job. But almost immediately they're thrown into the drug cartel investigation and bringing down the guy who murdered Ryan. After a connection is made to a strip club, it's Sawyer who'll be undercover—literally—as a male stripper. Seeing Sawyer in a thong turns Brooke on and they're soon back heating up the sheets. But are they making a mistake by letting sex distract them in their investigation…and jeopardizing their jobs?

STRIPPED is the first book in the  Blue Heat  series by Tara Wyatt and readers are introduced to not only Sawyer and Brooke, but to fellow detectives Jack and Amelia. They're all after the drug cartel and the man who murdered Ryan and can't let distractions interfere. Sawyer has been depressed since losing his partner and he figured a night out—and a hook-up with Brooke—would help dull the pain inside him. Their sexual chemistry sizzles. But both are dedicated to their job yet can't resist hooking up again. Their superiors can't get wind of their affair or they'll lose all that they've worked hard for.

Brooke lost her parents when she was a child and ended up being raised by her grandmother. In STRIPPED, we get to meet her grandmother, who gives Brooke some sage advice about love. Will she follow it? Working for Blue Heat is the ultimate goal for Brooke and she wants to do the best she can, but her attraction to Sawyer is proving to be an unwelcome distraction. Meanwhile, it turns out the drug cartel is even nastier than anyone thought. Will this lead to an explosive confrontation in STRIPPED? Is water wet?

We know who the bad guys are and whom we should be cheering for, so in STRIPPED it's mostly about watching Sawyer and Brooke battle their mutual attraction. Things don't go easy for them, but that is what makes this tale intriguing with a big helping of suspense. Just as they realize how much they care for each other their lives are nearly shattered. Grab a comfy seat and be prepared to be glued to the pages of STRIPPED to find out what happens.

Patti Fischer