Just Between Us… is the second book I’ve read by Tori Carrington. Both were hot and relatively enjoyable, though the first was a little bit hotter and a trifle more enjoyable. This husband and wife team seems to do a decent job writing quick, readable category romance.

Mallory Woodruff and Jack Daniels (groan) are friends. They are part of a supportive group that also includes Layla and Reilly, a group of supposedly platonic friends. Fact is, Mallory and Jack have never been platonic. They’ve been falling in and out of bed with each other since day one. They’ve kept their little sexual flings secret from Layla and Reilly for three years, but Jack is getting tired of being clandestine. He loves Mallory and wants something more than the occasional, or frequent, slap and tickle. But Mallory doesn’t agree. Marriage is anathema to her. Her mother’s frequent marriages and divorces have taught her that love doesn’t last. But what is she to do when Jack gives her the ultimate ultimatum: Hands off, babe, unless we go public.

Since I am a sucker for both friends and unrequited romances, I enjoyed the shenanigans between Jack and Mallory. Neither of the characters was perfect. Jack sometimes seemed to have “DOORMAT” written on his forehead, and Mallory clearly had foot-in-mouth disease, but they related well together. Jack’s nuturing quality appealed to me and Mallory’s pragmatism is rare in a romance heroine; she seemed to accept that she had actual limitations in what she could accomplish. Late in the story, though, that same pragmatism turns into pigheadedness as she determines to do something completely unnecessary and counterproductive (except in terms of providing page count, of course).

This is a Harlequin Blaze title, but the love scenes weren’t burning. Except for some slightly unconventional stuff, I’d be tempted to rate this as a “warm” book. Jack and Mallory were clearly very familiar with each others’ bodies; perhaps that same familiarity counterbalanced the “naughtiness” of their bedroom time. There was a sort of comfortable-ness to their lovemaking.

Although the third in Carrington’s Kiss and Tell mini-series, it doesn’t suffer from sequelities. Previous characters make numerous appearances, but gushy-gushy sappiness is kept to a minimum. And, since Jack and Mallory’s conflict in part stems from their relationships with these other people, their presence makes sense. However, again, late in the book, these characters’ involvement becomes almost slapstick in an unlikely way.

There is a small suspenseful subplot that wasn’t really necessary, but neither did it detract from the story itself. Mallory chooses a documentary project about a woman who came to Hollywood 25 years earlier and was grotesquely murdered. Mallory’s story and the woman’s story overlap in meaningful ways, but additional detail about the woman’s history and the murder might have made this subplot more compelling.

Just Between Us… was a quick weekend read for me, and I did enjoy it. But I doubt it’ll prove terribly memorable in the long run, so my recommendation is a qualified one.