WOW - this anthology is definitely an adult collection. I've read many these authors novels, which were rather mildly sexual, so I was quite surprised at how overtly erotic these short stories were.
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster is the wittiest story in the collection. The humorous style of writing and snappy dialogue provide a wonderful balance to the erotica, so that it comes across in an unoffensive and good-natured manner. A well-respected software designer suffers an embarrassing misunderstanding on the job, and retreats to working from home testing computer games. Her fantasy man comes to life off her computer screen, and their interactions are quite zany and laugh-out-loud funny. Is it just a dream? Is she losing touch with reality? Or has she found her real-life soulmate, one who will help her move beyond her fears and reclaim her life again?
The Marrying Kind by Debbie Macomber is the mildest/tamest story in the collection. It took Jason many years to move past the pain of being cruelly torn apart from his high-school sweetheart. A few days before his marriage to Elaine, Jason is reunited with Katie by chance. The choice Jason is faced with, and what happens next, is very predictable, and although highly romantic, it has been told in various forms in many other tales over the years. I greatly respect and admire Debbie Macomber. It would have been infinitely more interesting if an author of her calibre and talent took the plot in a different direction and ended with the opposite outcome, making this story unique and setting it apart from those dime-a-dozen others.
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster was the hokiest story in the collection and my least favorite. Asia and Cameron are workmates and make an unlikely couple, until a sex shop opens across from their workplace and becomes a forum for bringing them together. But neither knows if it is just a game to the other, or if it's the real thing.
Lisa Jackson's The Brass Ring has the best, most well-developed plot and is the most compelling of the stories in the collection. Parker is involved in an accident on the eve of his wedding to Shawna. When he comes out of his coma, he doesn't recognize her or remember their romance. Not knowing whether the new Parker will fall in love with her again, a courageous Shawna sticks by him. Together, they piece together some mysteries of his past as they try to rekindle their love.
