Stephanie Bond is a talented writer who pens humorous romances. But boy does she strike out big time in "Two Sexy!" one of the first books in the new Harlequin Blaze series. Blaze books are supposed to be hotter than most Harlequins, with more sensuality and steamy scenes. The first Blaze, Vicki Lewis Thompson's "Notorious," lives up to the hype. "Two Sexy!" does not. Maybe I'm missing something, but how is this book any different than a regular Harlequin Temptation? There is very little chemistry between the hero and heroine and only one steamy scene. I'm sorry; one three-page sex scene does not make this book a "red-hot read." The characters barely spend any time together in this story, making it impossible to believe they were in love. I didn't even believe they were in lust; they showed so few sparks. The story moves very slow. The storyline explained on the back cover is almost a spoiler, since it takes so long for it to actually begin. Too much of it was familiar from other Bond books. A wimpy heroine with a boring boyfriend. The usual gay man hanging around to support the heroine, because gay men don't have anything better to do in most of Ms. Bond's books than be confidantes for straight women. Silly misunderstandings, one-dimensional secondary characters. The supporting characters here are particularly cartoonish, and I doubt the people of Peoria Illinois will enjoy knowing they live in such a backwater where witch hunts are still the norm.
One thing I enjoyed about some of Ms. Bond's other books is how she was able to use a short length format and write a story with much complexity and character development. Books like Irresistible? and Kids is a Four Letter Word were only 180 pages. They still took place over a good period of time and made it believable that the characters got to know each other and fell in love. This is the longest of her "short" books, and the most unconvincing. Isn't that ironic?
Ms. Bond has written some good books, particularly Irresistible?, Naughty or Nice, and Too Hot to Sleep. This is not one of them.
