7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blaze at its best!, February 28, 2002
This review is from: Secret Games (Harlequin Blaze) (Paperback)
The trick to any Blaze offering is to combine imaginative erotic sensuality with decent romantic development.
In "Secret Games," Maggie is the victim of a deep-seated commitment phobia resulting from her parents' divorce. Sam's wanted her for a long time, but he's been relegated to the role of "best friend." When Maggie asks him to accompany her to a "romantic getaway" to help her "observe," he sees his opportunity to show Maggie the possibilities between them.
London does a great job of developing the characters. Sam is a wonderful hero, caring and sensitivity, and the long-standing relationship between Maggie and Sam gives a great basis for a relationship. I also appreciated that Sam didn't rush the physical intimacy between them. For him, it was just as important to develop emotional intimacy as physical intimacy. That leads to wonderful romantic development.
The "Blaze" line promises some hot sensuality as well, and "Secret Games" lives up to that promise. Most of this book is foreplay ... but what imaginative, wonderful foreplay it is! In addition, London does a great job of giving us moments of laughter in with the sensuality. Maggie's chastity belt dilemma is a classic!
Still, there are weaknesses here. Maggie's parents' divorce is touched on but not really fully explained; Sam's fear of being judged "boring" suffers from a similar problem. In addition, the last little "helpful prank" by the hotel staff doesn't seem to really add anything to the plot development.
But, these are minor weaknesses. London does a great job of giving us true emotional development by really showing us Maggie and Sam's thoughts. And those thoughts are true and deep, without the shallowness that can plague genre romances.
This is going on my list of Best of Blaze! Enjoy.
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