Harlequin Blaze: Let it Ride by Jillian Burns

Author: Jillian Burns

Publisher: Harlequin Blaze

Publication Date: May 2009

List price: $4.99

ISBN-10: 0-373-79470-3

Pages: 213

Author Jillian Burns takes the classic romance formula of girl meets tough guy and they fall in love in spite of themselves to new heights with her Harlequin Blaze novel "Let It Ride." Set in the backdrop of Las Vegas and incorporating modern issues such as 9/11 and the military without being preachy, Let It Ride is one wild story.

Jordan Brenner is working in a Las Vegas hotel as a "Keno girl" selling cards in skimpy outfits when she meets Air Force Major Cole Jackson, newly returned from a near-death experience in Iraq. Cole takes a bet from his ladies man comrade and friend to sleep with Jordan, who has been avoiding sex for years. When Cole wins the bet, he doesn't realize that he is destined to fall in love with Jordan. As he gets to know her, he learns that Jordan is working to get a computer programming degree and caring for her ailing mother with the "Keno girl" routine. Cole has a few secrets of his own, and each of them must decide if they are willing to test their boundaries to turn their sexual passion into lasting romance.

Burns' prose sizzles, and not just during the erotic scenes. She sets up sexual tension between a couple of Cole's Air Force friends, a male and a female captain, leaving one to wonder if Burns will be writing another book about this Las Vegas crowd in the near future. Jordan and Cole do not cave in to their deepest feelings easily, making the plot believable even in the Harlequin erotic romance genre.

Those who might be offended by frank, though never coarse, language during erotic scenes may not wish to pick up Let It Ride and go for a less spicy novel in the Harlequin or Silhouette line. However, those who are looking to feel like they are the ones on the motorcycle or in the bathtub having an intimate moment will not be disappointed in how Burns handles these passages.

Even those who do not dream of a man in uniform in their daily lives should be thrilled by the pace and story of Let It Ride. Burns has created believable characters, a plot that flows well, and a lot of sexual tension in and out of the bedroom. This is a highly recommended Harlequin Blaze novel.