Sudden Desire is my first of Lauren Dane's tales, though I have had my eye on a few of her books for a while. Never has the truth of the saying 'time is fleeting and fragile' been so understandable as it has in recent days, with my having read not one but two new authors, both of whom have been on my 'to read list' for many months yet…nada – until now. And let me tell you, what a fabulous book to start of with. Sudden Desire is an excellent novella, well worth picking up and devouring post haste.

Tess Marshall has had a major crush on her boss, movie star Trevor Ryan, since she first began working for him as his PA – a thankless task, to be sure - two years ago. Two years of long hours, no gratitude, no thanks, and no respect. His ordering her to exchange his salad for one with more eggs is the final straw. She loses her temper and lays out all his faults before him, then promptly quits. She storms out, and decides to take a much needed and desired vacation.

Unexpectedly, Trevor follows her, seemingly having realized how hard it will be to run his own life for a change. His realization is hardly shocking; it was something that Tess had foreseen. What stuns Tess is his sudden awareness of her as a woman – and how he seduces her almost as soon as he walks through the door. Yet he can only be interested in sex, right? After all, that is what all of his fleeting 'relationships' – if you can call them that - consist of. Besides, he would only ever grant her second place to his career and leading ladies, and being his hidden piece of fluff is not something Tess is amicable to being. If she can't have all of him, she wants none of him, for her heart could not bear anything else.

Trevor never realized just how much Tess did for him until she was gone. She knew his schedule by heart, his preferences, made him laugh, lightened his heart…yet, it wasn't until her temper came to the forefront that he became aware of her as a woman – and what a woman! How had he missed seeing her sexiness for the past two years? Tess had been right under his nose, and he had been completely oblivious. He is determined to track her down and get her back on board, though re-employing her is not the only thing he wants with her. He has never been a man to deny his desires, and he is not about to start now. But will he want more than a few days with Tess? When they leave the cabin Tess is vacationing in and return to the real world, will he return to the ungrateful and uncaring man he was before or will he remain the loving and sensual man he has become?

Sudden Desire is a fantastic novella that will surely tempt you – as it has me – to read more of Lauren Dane's tales, and with choice aplenty that should not be a hard thing to accomplish. I already have a few tales picked out. Sudden Desire is stunningly sensual from the get go, and the pace is kept up right throughout the story. Rest assured, the sex is very detailed, and slightly adventurous in terms of locations, but no taboo acts are engaged in.

Tess is a woman with a few hidden secrets; Trevor is a man whose character undergoes a complete transformation. The focus is most definitely on these two characters, and they are both developed fairly well. Sudden Desire has left me desiring more, and the author can be assured that I will be returning for more – in very short order.

Reviewed By Elizabeth
© July 2006