Tarrant Kane has a feeling that Nola Rule is playing him. He was certain she needed something, and before he knew what hit him, he had stumbled into her web. She found herself in trouble and needed a defender, and what better person to be her protector, and as a former General of Earth-Sec Defenses, he couldn’t pass up the challenge of a mission to further test his skills. For now, he would let her believe that she had him, that she was in control of him and then he would pull out his tactics and show her who was in command. If he got lucky, he might consider some of his carnal fantasies that he had been thinking about her. This is one sensual game he believes he will quite actually enjoy. The moment Nola Rule set her sights on Tarrant Kane, she knew once she got him between her legs, it would be one assignment that she would enjoy incredibly. Her mission is to collect a DNA for a bio-crèche army of Tarrant. Since he is the most wanted man in the galaxy, his sperm alone could make an army. When she approaches Tarrant for a business proposal, he makes sure to inform her that to play the game, one must be willing to follow the rules. Nola has never turned down any challenge and she intends on showing Tarrant she can follow any course. Of course, she never expected the suave, calculating Tarrant to even consider reversing the tables. As the two set out on a mission, one that Tarrant doesn’t really know the real reason, it appears they begin to emit emotions they never imagined in their little assignment.

A Calculated Risk is a delightful romp with changeling wills between Tarrant and Nola. They are refreshing characters, and I even love their names, interesting and unusual that sort of enticed the story a bit. Their banter and individualisms, along with their expressions could be noted in each page. Tarrant has a certain sexual allure to him that jumps from the pages. Not only loaded with intrigue, along with some powerful sensual seduction, Ms. Gardner fashions a story that acts like a magnet from the first page. She instills heat, passion and spins a creative indulging read that spirals to life, a most imaginative read that delivers. The way she weaves an ingenious seductive plan between the characters is so energetic that this reader could feel the intensity and longing of the hero and heroine as they played each other in their little escapades. Along with the secondary characters, this is one fantastic tale that I enjoyed.

Reviewed by: Linda L.