I am a huge fan of Maya Banks, and thought that my non-enjoyment of Into The Lair was a one-off - after all, I liked her sexed-down Silhouette Desire titles as much as her erotica, but I only sort of liked this one.
The first story, where Jake and his true love get together (she went out with and married his best friend, so he backed off without telling her he loved her, until she became an abused wife and left the friend) was really romantic and really hot, though slightly unrealistic in how quickly an abused woman would jump into a full-blown affair, but it worked well.
The second, in which Jake's friend Luke falls for Gracie, and fulfils her menage fantasy with another friend of theirs, Wes, was ok: yes, it was hot, but I kind of didn't like that she'd slept with her ex the night before for the first time after a month of dating, then decided to dump him in the morning because the sex was boring, and she then rushes straight into sex with Luke - and Wes. And get this, after 2 weeks he knows he wants to marry her? Sorry, it needed to be worked a little more.
The third - Wes's story was a little weird, as he was still hung up about having hurt Payton during her first time, when they were teens some 12yrs ago? Hello? He'd not seen or heard from her since, and when she makes a move on him (she's come back to town for a wedding), he runs? He practically has to be pinned down before she can have her way with him, and in each and every sex scene, he feels that he has to make it up to her, even though she has repeatedly assured him that their first time was good for her. Oh, and he has to confess that he slept with Gracie, his best friend's wife to fulfil her menage fantasy, and Payton is totally fine with this? Hmmm.
An ok book if you only really wanted it for the hot sex, but the sex was definitely not as hot as in the most of this author's books, and the last story felt as if it was written round the sex. And why was there so many mentions of KY Jelly? Put me off - after all, they are meant to be in lust with each other, yet they need lube?
I will still continue to read this author, but unless it's one that I've been anticipating for a while (e.g. Wild & Linger, summer 2010), I will just wait til the library has them.