Romance Book Review: Guilty Pleasure

Author: Lora Leigh
Series Connection: Bound Hearts
ISBN-13: 978-0312541866
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: January 5, 2010

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This is the 11th book and Lora Leigh's Bound Hearts series. There have been a lot of places on the web that have been trying to count off what number this is and getting it wrong. That's understandable since the books have been published through a couple of different formats and publishers. Most of the first of the Bound series were done in e-book format through Ellora's Cave. It wasn't until book nine, Forbidden Pleasures, that the series went to St. Martin's that the print versions were on books shelf like Barnes and Noble and Borders, but the first eight original books were just as exciting and shall we say...colorful.

In Guilty Pleasure readers finally get to hear Khalid's story. Several books in the series share little tidbits of information about the bastard son of a Saudi Sheik. Khalid has played "third" to both The Club's leader Ian in Shameless and for Chase in Only Pleasure, as well as bit roles in other books.

One of the best parts in Guilty Pleasure is the added intrigue into Khalid's life. In other stories he has played the lavish playboy with nothing more than time and money on his hands, but in Guilty Pleasure we see another side of Khalid. The side where he is fighting against the terrorist who have plagued his father's small country. For a long time Khalid has been working with the FBI and CIA to stop his two terrorist brothers.

Enter Marty. Marty is a young FBI agent and old friend of Khalid's. She has always been in love with him, but he has stayed clear of her. Two years before the story starts, Marty is assigned by her immediate boss to follow Khalid and find the evidence needed to show that Khalid is a terrorist. She is not only working to keep tabs on the young prince, but working closely with her Godfather, the head of the FBI, to keep certain information from her boss. This information would not only prove that Khalid isn't a terrorist, but has been in fact helping the FBI.

After she finally closes her investigation finding no evidence of wrong doing on Khalid's part, Marty heads out for a long awaited vacation. She's decided that since she is no longer watching Khalid, it is now time to seduce him. Khalid is in love with Marty, as well and of course not much seduction is needed, but he doesn't want her in the middle between him and his brothers for he has not told her the whole truth. She is in much more dangers than she realizes and he doesn't want anything to happen with her.

Adding the terrorist element to the Bound series helps to revitalize the story line a lot. This book is full of suspense and intrigue that pulls away from the norm. It even goes a step beyond the past "Pleasure" books in the series where there has been more to the story than two guys sharing a woman. I felt like we were seeing a little of Lora Leighs Elite Ops series showing through, which I liked very much.

Don't get me wrong there is quite a bit of Lora Leigh's sex scenes going on in the book. There is a lot of first times happening in Marty's life including being shared with a new character to the series, CIA agent Shayne Conner. It would be interesting to see him in upcoming Bound series books. Who knows when a new book will come along, however, since Ms. Leigh appears busy with several other series she is bringing to life at this time. I personally can't wait until the newest Breed series come out in April featuring the Jonas' story in Lions Heart.

Description:
Marty Matthews swore she would never allow herself to be drawn into the secret, forbidden pleasures that the women she had grown up with enjoyed. Women whose husbands or lovers were members of the exclusive “Club,” where they took a selected “third” into their beds. Now, Marty is an FBI agent and her brand new case has put the one man she can’t have in her sights.

Marty’s boss is convinced Khalid is involved in a plot to derail talks between his uncle and the President to strengthen ties between the US and the Middle East, and he wants Marty to get close enough to Khalid to prove it. However, Khalid is a member of the Club and he offers to introduce her to the kind of guilty pleasure Marty swore she would never experience. And even though danger lurks around every corner, there is no way to escape the man who threatens not only her control, but her very heart.