A Stranger's Touch - Tori Carrington

Dulcy Ferris has always had an active fantasy life - but her fantasy had never come anywhere close to reality until she finds herself alone in an elevators with Quinn Landis. There's just one problem: Dulcy's engaged to someone else, and the night she meets Quinn is her pre wedding girls night out party. But before she commits herself to marriage with a man who has made no attempt to light her fire, she can't resist indulging in her most secret fantasy just once. Even if it does mean having several large shots of tequila before hand.

Ms Carrington's novel is one of the earlier Blaze books released in May 2002. It's a short, spicy read ideal for an evening when you have a few hours to kick back and indulge in a little hot sex between the pages. The plot is sparing, and padded out in places in a manner that might have been just to fulfill word count, but unless you're really looking for flaws that isn't an issue. The story does pull you in, Dulcy is the sort of woman that could be someone you know at work. She's normally in control of herself but Quinn walking into her life turns that control upside down.

Quinn is delicious. In every sense of the word. He is a fantasy man and perhaps the one that Dulcy had been looking without ever knowing it. The descriptions of the two characters are just enough to paint an image of them in your mind without flooding the reader with a thousand and one details.

The sex scenes are well written, enough to tantalize without getting too graphic for the reader, and the book fits into the line well, or appears to from what little I've learned about the line so far. (keeping in mind I've only read a dozen of the Blaze novels since the line was launched several years ago)

The only real issue I had with the plot was the idea that going out for the party before you get married means looking for someone to have sex with. Perhaps, in that, my own personal beliefs come into play. To me, you don't plan on marrying someone unless you're in love with them, and you don't cheat on someone you love. But as I said, that's my own personal belief.

So where does the disappearing fiancé come in? The man she's supposed to marry vanishes the day after she and Quinn meet. And the search for Brad only serves to bring Quinn and Dulcy closer together. The guilt that both feel about the attraction, and the sex they share, is present but again it didn't quite feel right to me. Not because of any lack of writing skill that Ms. Carrington might have, but personal viewpoint of this reader.

Other than that, a good short read and I'll keep an eye out for other works by Ms. Carrington.

ISBN 0-373-79041-4