Scent of a Woman, by Jo Leigh

Like Kristin Hardy, Jo Leigh is one of the very few authors whose Blaze titles I always buy. The latest I read was Scent of a Woman.

When Susan Carrington sees David Levinson in a boutique, she impulsively propositions himjust a little sex, on a weekly basis. Afraid shell regret it later, she decides to meet David at the pre-arranged time and place, thinking at least shell be with a man who wants her for her and not for her money. What starts out as pure physical attraction soon blossoms into something more. But can their true identities foul up any type of potential romance?

Scent of a Woman is among the hottest Blazes that I've read so far, probably even crossing the line into Romantica territory. But hey, I like good romantica, and since this is very good, no problem! My grade: a B+.

The book is basically about two grown-ups exploring their sexual fantasies by creating an environment and a situation in which they feel safe enough to check their inhibitions at the door. No gimmicks, no stupid, contrived sexual neuroses, just two mature people who start realizing that in addition to finding each other sexually attractive, they have begun to fall for the real people who shine through in these sexual encounters.

Both David and Susan are likeable and they are scorching together. Leigh has a way with love scenes, and manages to infuse them with emotion, using them not (only) to titillate but to tell us more about her characters.

I also enjoyed that as always, Leigh's characters actually do feel like real young people, with attitudes and lifestyles that ring true (even if both David and Susan did have much more money than a regular person their age would). Plus, I liked their having strong, supportive groups of friends. Love it when romance incorporates certain elements of chick lit!