Desert Isle Keeper

Ainslie Paton can always be counted on to write sexy, compelling, and unique romances and she’s done it again with One Wicked Lick from the Drummer, the third story in her The One series.

Mena Grady had a wild life as an older teenager, hitting the groupie circuit for popular rock groups, and hooking up with drummer Mark ‘Grip’ Grippen of her favorite up-and-coming band was the ultimate success. After that she vowed to settle down and finish her finance degree, the time spent with Grip a cherished memory best left in the past.

Fifteen years later she’s a financial investment counselor looking to make partner and the last person she expects to see is Grip, still as handsome and charismatic as ever, coming to her firm for investment advice. Assigned to his case, she knows exactly who he is but he doesn’t recognize her. Still, something about her sparks his interest and as they spend time together, their explosive chemistry comes into play again, leading to a sexy affair. But Mena hasn’t told Grip the truth about their past. When he finds out will it ruin their second chance?

I always find myself in the conundrum of trying to read Ms. Paton’s books faster to see what’s going to happen and simultaneously trying to slow down so I don’t get to the end too fast. When that happens, you know you’ve hit the reading jackpot. The sexual tension between Grip and Mena is palpable right from the start but this time Mena is in a very awkward position. Sleeping with a client is a big mistake that could cost her her career. But sleeping with Grip again, knowing what it was like for them the first time around is too big of a temptation to ignore. Then there is the tension of knowing her secret about their shared past.  As they grow closer together and Grip starts to share intimate things with her, you just know that there are going to be serious repercussions. Gah!

Though rock star romances aren’t my favorite, I make an exception for authors I enjoy and I’m definitely glad I did that here. I like the backdrop of the band, the close relationship Grip has with his bandmates and there are some enjoyable scenes with secondary characters who were in earlier books in the series. Grip has his own secrets that only Mena knows about, and it’s the realization that sometimes people keep secrets for legitimate reasons that helps him get over the betrayal (because you know from the beginning he’s going to find out who Mena is, you just don’t know when) and leads to their eventual happy ending. Though you don’t have to have read the earlier books, they are equally enjoyable and definitely worth reading, and we get an epilogue to tie the three books in the series up handily. I’d be remiss to not mention that in the sweepstakes of unique venues to have a sexy scene, the escape room part in this book is ‘chef’s kiss’ perfection. If you’re a fan of sexy romances with complicated characters and often unique circumstances, stories with an emotional pull that have you rooting for a happy ending, you should be reading Ainslie Paton.

Buy it at: Amazon

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