Ellepkay has been encouraging me on this one for a while. I’d kept setting it aside in my mind and picking up others as I have found, in general, erotic romances are less my thing than others. I want a very specific amount of saucy times in my books. You read enough of them, you figure out the exact recipes. So this one ended up being a quick, pleasant surprise over the holidays.
Liberating Lacey is the story of Lacey, a recently divorced and well to do 30 something, and Hunter, a young 20 something cop. They meet at a bar, and have an instant physical connection. From there things continue on, even though neither is looking for a commitment at the start, but they find that they keep enjoying each other’s company. What unfolds is a nice little story about two people figuring it out, with more saucy times than usual “on page”.
There was so much to enjoy with this one. Hunter and Lacey are wonderfully drawn characters, well rounded, and fully realized. The dynamic of Lacey being older and more successful than Hunter plays throughout the book to great effect. Compared to historical romances (and honestly most contemporaries) rarely is the heroine the one with so much more “power” and “control” over the situation and the hero. The heroes are always dukes or billionaires, and even when the heroines are heiresses they never have control. Here, Lacey is not only independently wealthy, she’s also one of the best in the city at her job. She makes bank. And does not apologize for it. Hunter, meanwhile, is enough of an “alpha male” that he does have to come to terms with how much money she has (he at firsts thinks it’s from her divorce, but quickly realizes it’s all her), but in the end likes her as the highly successful woman she is. See? Refreshing!
Anyways, if you like your romance on the saucier end of things, and haven’t read this one yet, get on it! It’s excellent. Light, quick, and fun.