Danny is charmed when he starts receiving letters from Paige. He thinks of her as the freckly faced girl next door who he teased mercilessly while growing up. Now her letters bring a smile to his face and help him face the war in Iraq. But when Paige's letters start taking a decidedly more erotic turn, Danny is very turned on. Though he's known about her girlhood crush on him, he didn't know she still felt that way. As they start exchanging sexual banter in their letters, both start to develop very strong feelings for each other. Although Paige has always loved Danny, through their letter writing, she really starts to believe she is getting to know the man, and not the boy.

Unfortunately, Paige has other problems to contend with besides her growing feelings for Danny. Her work at the campus computer store is going horribly wrong and she's being framed for a crime she didn't commit. She's also desperate to lose weight before Danny gets back to Mississippi. Danny is having some problems of his own in Iraq. When he gets injured, he's worried that he might never be the same man again. He doesn't want Paige to pity him. Will he throw their evolving relationship away on the pretext of what ifs or maybes?? Will Danny and Paige be reunited? Will they get their happily ever after? You'll just have to read to find out!

This was an engaging and dramatic look between two totally different worlds. Paige is safe in Mississippi, trying to earn her graduate degree, while Danny is on the front lines, risking his life for his friends and fellow officers. Author Ashley Ladd does a terrific job of portraying the dramatic differences between these characters. I felt that the growing relationship between Danny and Paige was very natural and smooth. It didn't occur overnight as happens in many romances, it definitely took time and effort on both their parts, despite the fact that they were so far apart. In some ways I felt the criminal aspect of this story detracted from Paige and Danny's narrative as it just seemed to add another mess they had to try to fix. Nevertheless, I was very impressed with not only the characters but also the quality of writing in this story. Be warned: if erotic stories featuring group sex aren't your thing, you might either want to avoid this story or just skip over that part. Otherwise, the lovemaking is pretty much your garden-variety male/female sex, but Ashley Ladd definitely spices it up with her scintillating love letters between Danny and Paige. This was a very enjoyable story that seemed to have a firm grip on what life is like behind enemy lines.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Sarah W
December 9, 2004