Remember back to your high school days when being a tease was a bad thing? It usually referred to a girl who advertised one thing, but never delivered. When is being a tease a good thing, even a delicious thing? Maybe when you least expect it. Maybe when you get to be the tease, even if you have to take lessons from an instructor who is temptation personified. That's the situation Joan Blair finds herself in Nathalie Gray’s novel, Tease.

Joan Blair knows she isn’t anyone’s version of a femme fatale. Instead she is more like a female disaster knocking down everything she comes close to with her inherent klutziness or her size nine and a half feet. It’s odd that she designed an assignment to infiltrate an infamous brothel as a dancer to capture an oily criminal. A detective has to do what a detective has to do. Besides, this could be her big break if she could pull it off. Maybe she should make that, take it off. Even to be halfway convincing she has to take lessons, probably from some aging stripper.

George B. Archer, Archer to his friends, was surprised to get the message from Adriano, his contact from Gentleman Inc., a very upscale escort agency. Adriano stayed in the shadows, usually texting him his assignments, but the money was good and the women grateful—all good things. His next assignment was to train a policewoman to be an exotic dancer, one good enough to earn herself an entry into the amateur night contest at The Quicksilver. If anyone could do it, he could.

At first glance, Joan is pole-axed at the sight of the tall, thoroughly built Archer, her instructor. If anyone could inspire her to peel off her clothes, he certainly could. The real question was if could he teach her to do this while getting her to hang upside down on a silver pole. She hopes so.

Archer loves women, all types and sizes—a real appreciation for the female gender. It’s amazing that Joan Blair, a tall, fit, outspoken constable makes such a huge bleep on his babe radar. It is hard to tell where she stood: blushing novice or eager playmate? He would enjoy finding out.

Tease employs an intriguing concept; average girl tries her hand at being a pole dancer with a twist of having a delicious male instructor. There is the mysterious Adriano, plus the smart talking Chantal to round out the cast of characters. There is, of course, combustible attraction between Archer and Blair, plus the very real threat of danger and discovery, which makes the whole affair just a little more delectable. The average reader is allowed a peek into an exclusive brothel—not your usual boy meets girl story.

Tease is a must read, because it is fun, clever and sexy. It is also well-written with a nod in the direction of the intelligent reader. It will warm up those cold wintry nights.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© January 2008