BEST LAID PLANS by Bronwyn Green

BEST LAID PLANS
BRONWYN GREEN
Erotic Contemporary
Sensuality Rating: S-ensual
Cerridwen Press
175 pages
ISBN# 9781419910401
$4.45
eBook - Available August 2007

Rating: 5 Enchantments

Tessa Maycroft is a librarian, and a part-time worker at a domestic violence shelter. Tessa’s life changed when she was assaulted and raped while attending college as a young woman. It destroyed her self-esteem, her ability to trust, and has shaped the rest of her life. She has mostly worked her way past that terrible time, but she has a compulsion to try to stay in control as much as possible. She dates guys who are bland and vanilla; even though her neighbor really sets her heart racing, she instinctively knows she cannot control him, and that scares her.

Zander York is the ‘hot’ college psychology professor whom every girl on campus has a crush on. He is very charming, with a wicked sense of humor (even if he is a bit delusional about why so many female students visit him during office hours - that just adds to his appeal), and a deeply ingrained sense of responsibility. His heart was broken, and his life altered forever when his sister-in-law was stalked and murdered, and he vows he will not be that vulnerable to heartache again. He’s always looking for a no-commitment good time because his emotions are withdrawn and unavailable. He stays away from dating the ‘good’ girls like his neighbor, Tessa, even if he is attracted to her.

Campus politics ensure that Zander cannot get his tenure unless he appears to be in a stable committed relationship. He turns to his friend and neighbor for help. Would she have a pretend relationship with him, just until he gets his tenure? As a good friend, she can’t refuse. She has fantasized about him and this might be her only chance to assuage her curiosity on how his kisses would feel. Instead of light and casual, her ‘fake’ relationship is starting to feel way too real and much too complicated. To make matters worse, she starts getting unsettling and creepy notes. Will she be able to open up and trust Zander, not only with the past rape and current stalking, but also with her heart?

I felt compassion for both characters. Knowing Zander’s past and his need to protect, I especially felt for him. But I couldn’t blame Tessa with her thoughts and actions of blocking Zander out either; with her past, it was very realistic. This makes the budding relationship between the two all the more gratifying. Zander’s and Tessa’s friends know they are right for each other before either can admit their feelings, and keep pushing them together. They are the kind of friends everyone wishes they had. Everything about this book was great and I recommend you pick it up today!

Ms. Green does it again, but better than ever! BEST LAID PLANS is a stirring, appealing, comedic, sensual read. I loved it! I finished it in one sitting, and then went back to re-read some of my favorite parts a few days later. Ms. Green was able to take two highly sensitive subjects that will push your emotions through the wringer and still have you squirming in your seat with arousal. That is great story-telling at work!

If you want to know more about this author, we have an interview from August 2007 posted on the website or you can stop by her website at www.bronwyngreen.com.

dawn
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2007