THEIRS TO CHERISH - Shayla Black
Wicked Lovers, Book 8
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-25123-2
March 2014
Erotic Contemporary Romance

Dallas, Texas - Present Day

In spite of loving her boss, Mitchell Thorpe, Callie Ward is also falling for Sean Kirkpatrick, the Dom who collared her.  Sean is caring, and loving, and everything a woman could want in a man –except he asks too many questions.  For a woman who's spent the last nine years as a fugitive after her father and sister were murdered and she was framed for the crime, Sean's questions about her past are setting off all of her warning alarms.  He may be a Dom, but Callie can't imagine him being violent, so she doesn't think he's a threat, but why all the questions?  When she realizes that Sean hasn't been completely truthful with her, her instinct is to turn to Thorpe, but if her past is about to catch up with her, she needs to be as far away from Thorpe as possible.

Thorpe has done his best to bury the feelings he has for Callie, but every time he's seen her kneeling at Sean's feet for the past few months proves that his desire to claim Callie as his own is as strong as ever.  He's not sure if the wariness he has of Sean is because of wanting Callie or if there is something wrong about Sean.  Before he can figure it out, Callie is gone, and Thorpe will do whatever it takes to get her back.  Even work with his rival.

From the moment he first learned of Callie's past, Sean knew there was something off about the facts he was given.  In the months he's spent getting to know her, Sean's priorities have changed, and he's determined to protect Callie from the people out to hurt her.  He knows that to do so he'll need Thorpe's help, yet he's also coming to understand that in order for his relationship with Callie to work, Thorpe can't be his enemy—they'll have to be a team.

The latest in the Wicked Lovers series, THEIRS TO CHERISH features Thorpe, the owner of Club Dominion, who has appeared in other books in the series, as has Callie.  Sean is a new player in the series and, like the others, he has his secrets.  On the night Callie's father and sister were murdered, she was shot also, and then her boyfriend tried to turn her in for the money.  She doesn't trust very easily, and being on the run means she doesn't get attached.  She's spent the last four years at Club Dominion because of her feelings for Thorpe, even though he's made it clear he isn't interested in pursuing things with her, but now she knows it's time to move on.  Thorpe does care for her, but he has his own reasons for not wanting to start a relationship.  When Sean suggests that Callie needs both of them to be complete, Thorpe is torn—a part of him thrills at knowing he can be with Callie, but the rest of him knows it's only temporary.

Despite being part of the series, this novel stands on its own, the connection being the characters, not a storyline.  Fans familiar with the series will recognize Thorpe and Callie, and a few of the heroes from previous stories make an appearance.  Whether you are new to Wicked Lovers or a fan, THEIRS TO CHERISH is a sizzling erotic tale that you won't want to miss.

Jennifer Bishop