Sinking into a Mari Carr novel is like taking a steamy bath when the kids are away. The outside world slips away, leaving only relaxation and bliss. Carr's characters are flawed and stubborn, and completely perfect for falling in love. White Knight, the follow-up to Black Jack begins with a promise that makes it difficult to put down the book for any length of time.

As with Black Jack, Ms. Carr uses a format where she alternates between telling the love story between Travis and Shea and telling a parallel fantasy story that helps us delve deeper into the characters. Travis is scarred from a tragedy we don't find out about until the end. Carr does a stellar job of maintaining the allure of the alpha male while still driving home how deeply Travis's wounds run.

Shea is the perfect woman, and their introduction couldn't have been more fitting. Travis is simply too jaded to notice any woman he meets the usual way. Since she's gun-shy and looking to start over, his need to progress slowly toward true intimacy doesn't turn her away. Ms. Carr easily fulfills her promise and delivers a sweet, sensual, romantic story that cleanses away the sins of the world and leaves behind blissfully pure pleasure.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Clare
December 13, 2011