Gwen’s review of Wicked by Sasha White
Contemporary erotic romance released by Berkley Trade 2 Jan 08

This is a tale about how a boy finds a girl. It’s set in modern day. However, it struck me as I was reading it that the story could have been set in any time – the characters and the plot were that universal. There are no paranormal distractions, no deeper mysteries to solve other than how were the hero and heroine going to make things work. A universal tale, really. Well…

Except for the D/s elements, that is.

Wicked isn’t as, well, wicked as perhaps White’s other books in this cycle, but it is interesting. Wicked is a brief exploration of the Domination/submission subculture. White doesn’t use the D/s as titillation, though; she actually delves into the mechanics of why D/s is a lifestyle choice for many people. I got a deeper understanding of why this is the only choice some people can make. It was actually very fascinating.

There are a couple of cliches – the proud down-on-her-luck heroine who is saving every penny to have her dream of her own home, the gay best friend, etc. – but they don’t distract much from the main reason we’re here: the romance. I enjoyed the hero’s predicament of falling in love after having spent years running from it.

There are a couple of suspenseful elements that managed to not detract much from the main story and added some much needed tension.

While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t have near the fun with it I did with Trouble and Sexy Devil. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of White’s writing or who likes contemporary erotic romance.

Grade: B-

     Summary:

     Readers first met Karl Dawson in BOUND, they’ll get to know him a little better in TROUBLE, but one woman will learn all in WICKED.

     Bad-boy divorce attorney Karl Dawson has seen all the ways love can go wrong. That’s why he’s given up on it. Jaded and feeling restless, he has playmates, not girlfriends. A leather-clad Dominant, he comes and goes in the city’s after-dark playgrounds as he pleases. That’s how he likes it.

     Lara Fox is an independent jack-of-all-trades who can do anything she sets her mind to – except that falling-in-love thing. She’s got a need for control too strong for most men, and an inability to walk away from a challenge. Including a challenge like Karl. He’s cocky, arrogant, and demanding. That’s how she needs it.

     They’re perfect for each other. But what begins as a sensual battle of wills turns into a journey neither is prepared for when Lara is threatened and emotional walls start to crumble.

     Read an excerpt.