Once the best, Galen Warner has been on the run for eight long years. Charged with murder, the fencing champion has been in hiding; however, it appears someone has finally tracked him down.

Private Investigator Kim Casey arrives in the small Mexican town determined to find Galen. Only she doesn’t want to bring him in, she wants him to train her for the annual Spy Games. If she can master fencing, she has a chance to secure her future. Will winning the games be enough after she spends time with this enigmatic man?

Steel-Tipped Velvet is a highly enjoyable short story that managed to surprise me with its plot. I enjoyed how Ms. Savage set the stage for Kim’s search and how Galen manages to turn the tables on her. From there, the story develops naturally with the characters taking center stage. Galen’s intensity as well as Kim’s determination and frustration comes across easily to readers, and you know there just has to be a breaking point between them. When it comes, the scene is both sensual and tender. Their honest reactions to each other had this reviewer smiling and anxiously turning pages. The ending has this reader hoping we’ll see them again.

Reviewed by: Amanda S.