LOVING YOU EASY - Roni Loren
Loving on the Edge, Book 9
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-27857-4
September 2016
Erotic Contemporary Romance

Dallas, Texas - Present Day

For the past few months, IT expert Cora Benning has enjoyed a virtual relationship with Master Dmitry in the game Hayven.  She'd all but given up on men until Dmitry approached her alter ego, Lenore, and asked her to submit to him.  She hasn't yet stepped out of her comfort zone enough to actually try anything in her non-virtual life, but when she accidentally witnesses a man at a party dominating a woman, Cora is both mortified and turned on - especially when she realizes the man knows she was watching.  The night ends with a near-miss when Cora is attacked outside her home by a guy who'd been stalking her in the game.  He insists that Lenore wanted him to act out a rape scene with her, and after the police leave and Cora calms down, she gets to work and finds out that her information at Hayven is no longer a secret.

Ren Muroya is pleasantly surprised when the woman who watched him at the party shows up at his offices the next morning.  That pleasure turns to horror when he realizes that private information has been hacked and his clients are at risk.  Hayven was designed specifically for people who want to play but have difficulty trusting strangers.  Yet, while he's concerned about his clients, this may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, because he'll have a chance to get to know Cora.  And, considering the fact that he's living with his best friend and can look but not touch, Cora is just the distraction he needs.

Hayes Fox was falsely convicted of rape thanks to a scene gone wrong, and he's recently been released from prison.  After what happened to him, Hayes is determined to never again risk any kind of relationship, especially as a Dom, but his brief meeting with Cora has him intrigued.  Even though Ren has offered, Hayes hasn't played at all since his release - except online.  While he's getting in deeper with Lenore as Master Dmitry, and doing his best to ignore the not exactly platonic feelings he has for his long-time best friend, Hayes isn't ready to make any of this real.

Each of the characters in LOVING YOU EASY has a reason for shying away from relationships, which, in an odd way, makes them perfect for each other.  Cora was raised by a single mom who happens to currently be a police captain.  Her mom always warned her to stay away from dangerous men, but lately Cora's been finding it difficult to deny that the dangerous men are the ones most attractive to her.  Her desire to submit is her biggest secret, and in the game she has the freedom to act out her fantasies, without the risk of running any men off.  Hayes and Ren's friendship began in their teens, shortly after Ren returned home.  He had run off with an older boyfriend who turned out to be not what he seemed.  With the exception of that relationship, Ren has always been the Dominant, but he'd be willing to submit to Hayes in an instant.  They'd shared women in the past, but have always kept their friendship platonic.  Hayes is straight, but can't deny that his feelings for Ren go beyond friendship.  However, he's not willing to mess up his friendship for a short term fling, and that seems to be Ren's specialty.  Working with Cora to find out who hacked their system is a temptation for both men, and as for Cora, she'd never thought of trying a threesome, until Ren and Hayes. 

The ninth book in the Loving on the Edge series, LOVING YOU EASY mostly stays clear of the characters from the earlier books with appearances by only a few.  This novel stands well on its own, focusing on the relationship between Ren, Hayes and Cora, as well as the mystery of who hacked into the company's system.  A romantic, sizzling hot tale, don't miss LOVING YOU EASY.

Jennifer Bishop