Linda Francis Lee, Simply Sexy

Simply Sexy

Linda Francis Lee

Ivy, Nov 2004, $6.99

ISBN: 0345462734

In El Paso, undercover cop Ben "Benny the Slash" Prescott seeks the killer of his partner when he tries to cut a drug deal with Nando Ramirez. He almost succeeds when all hell breaks loose and in the melee he is shot. Ben's brother Sterling and his new wife Chloe are willing to delay their honeymoon to help him heal, but he rejects the idea. When former radio station owner Julia Boudreaux offers her home to him, everyone accepts though the patient is reluctant to do so.

As Ben heals, he and Julia are attracted to one another, but he sees her as a spoiled, rich bad girl and she sees him as a thug. Needing an idea for a show, she comes up with Makeover, a reality show to convert a bad boy into a caring person. Her first Primal Guy choice is Ben, who she wants to change from a "Petri dish of testosterone" into a compassionate individual. As she works on the conversion, they fall in love, but can their feelings overcome their first negative impressions?

The third "Sexy" tale is a wonderful contemporary romance starring two individuals who prefer people to think they are "bad" but actually wear armor to hide how they really feel towards each other, and for that matter, the world. The storyline is fun to follow as Ben and Julia battle for supremacy as the superbad soul in Linda Francis Lee's third gender war. The return of characters from the previous tales (including by amusing email exchanges) adds warmth to a fine conclusion and a delightful miniseries.

Harriet Klausner