Hide and Seek
Alyssa BrooksContemporary erotic romance
Available from Berkley Heat
ISBN: 0425218759
December 2007
| Maxim Cox is a love 'em and leave 'em playboy. He has it all: wealth, women, and a successful career, but there is something missing. When he spots the cover of a magazine and sees Elisa Cross looking sexier than hell, with some very racy headlines surrounding her, he knows what he is missing. Elisa. He hasn't forgotten her since college and now he wants a chance to show her what she missed out on when she refused to go out with him so long ago. Maxim makes a very impromptu decision and heads to Colorado to find Elisa.
Elisa Cross just wants to get away from the media hounding her after her very public exposure. Her rat of an ex-boyfriend made their sex life into something for public consumption and now Elisa is facing the downfall from that. She wants alone time but is shocked when Maxim Cox shows up at her secluded cabin. She remembers him well from their Harvard days. He was a man-slut to put it lightly and though she was always aroused around him, she refused to go out with him. But now, Elisa may have the opportunity to live out some dreams of her own. Perhaps a sexy game of Hide and Seek is in store in order to show Maxim that she will not fall for his routine. Instead, Elisa is going to take charge of their sexual activities in a big way. Maxim, look out! Despite its racy premise, Hide and Seek fails to truly deliver a heart stopping romance. Elisa is a bit of a ball buster and she hardly seems to cut Maxim a break. For his part, Maxim is definitely a ladies' man and he revels in it. While there is nothing wrong with that attitude, I had a hard time seeing him carry a torch for Elisa for so long. He continually reinforces the ideas that he has no plans to settle down and get married, but yet, he hopes Elisa falls for him in a big way. His behaviors just did not seem to match those of a man truly falling in love. This novel is constantly about sex and while that can be a good thing at times, here it just seems to drag. I never felt the characters were fully developed or truly fell in love. Rather, a high degree of lust permeates these pages, but the idea of love, even at the end, is not part of Elisa and Maxim's relationship. However, there are still some enjoyable aspects to this story, including the incredibly sexy love scenes, and the bantering Elisa and Maxim share. It is also obvious these two care about each other, though they are playing Hide and Seek with their feelings too. This story is very explicit. Dildos, masturbation, and other intimate activities all make appearances. Hide and Seek failed to fully capture me as a reader, but I did enjoy the time spent with these characters.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Sarah W. |
