Public Domain

Her name was Rain –- or Emmanuelle -- or whatever she had decided to call herself today. The point was to become a mysterious, sultry seductress, rather than the commonplace part-time housekeeper that Bea Henderson was – at least, that’s how she thought of herself. Without the mystery, she was afraid that she would lose the connection with the handsome Tag Pomertoy. Their secret trysts and daring, almost public sex-capades lent a spice to their romance. But when Tag seemed to want to move their relationship to the next level, Bea was afraid that he’d become disillusioned by her prosaic self. Will his persistence persuade Bea to reveal her secrets?

This is a lovely and complex interracial romance. The novella format encourages the author to keep her prose tight and lean. The narrative unfolds in a series of scenes that include both the present and flashbacks, and the different aspects are carefully intertwined. I did get confused once or twice by the quick scene changes and occasional flashbacks, but this did not hamper my enjoyment of the story. For once, the characters of a romance are normal folks, just like us, rather than millionaires. I really liked the characters of Bea and Tag. Since each started out wanting to remain anonymous, and thus with nothing to go on, each made assumptions about the other that were not necessarily true, and which ended up complicating their relationship. The sex scenes are moderately explicit, and very sensual, involving daring male/female sex in a number of public settings. I enjoyed this novella and recommend it to fans of realistic contemporary romance.

Reviewed by: Jean