This is a marvelous contemporary erotic romance by Gail Faulkner, who is yet another new author for me. This novella had me hooked from the beginning and when things started heating up, boy did they reach the boil real quick! I love everything about this tale; the author has done a very good job with Romeo.

Lauren has been protected by her father and her three older brothers all of her life, even more so since the age of ten when she was involved in a tragic car accident in which her mother died in her arms. It was at this time that Lauren and her family found out she had a serious heart defect and needed a heart transplant. Her family became even more protective and coddling than they already were.

As a result, at twenty-three, Lauren is naive in the ways of men and relationships. Indeed, she is still a virgin. Having had her heart transplant nearly two years ago, she is starting to rebel. It’s time for her to live her life, to make her own choices, choices that have been denied her for so long because of her condition and her family’s coddling. It is time for Lauren to break free. If only she can let go of her inhibitions enough to work out how.

When her friend Carla invites her to her cousin’s ranch one weekend for a family get-together, Lauren readily accepts. Several hours into the journey, when it’s too late to turn back, she finds out that the reason her friend invited her is to show up her eldest cousin, Romeo, who owns the ranch. Fed up with his orders and rules, even though he puts them in place to protect those he loves, all of the cousins want to see him taken down a peg or two--or six. Carla believes Lauren is just the woman for the job. She believes Lauren to be an Ice Queen, well aware that Lauren hardly dates and does not ‘put out’ on the dates she does go on. Even though they have been friends for a year and met at a children’s hospital where Lauren volunteers and Carla is training in medicine, Carla is unaware of Lauren's health issues. She also knows that Lauren epitomizes the type of woman her cousin is drawn to: delicate looking, curvy, with long black hair and big blue eyes. Will Romeo act as Carla expects? For that matter, will Lauren?

Romeo is very protective of the ones he loves, having lost his parents and grandparents as a young man. He is very controlling of the family he has left and knows they aren’t happy with his dominant ways, especially since they are now adults. His fears about losing them keep him doing his best to protect them, even if he considers it to be from their own stupidity. It’s possible that this is why he is drawn to fragile looking women, so he can protect them, look after them and coddle them. He never expected to want to get married though. It’s a shock when he first sees Lauren and something deep within him realizes instantly that this is the woman for him; this is the woman he is going to marry. Far from dragging his feet down the aisle, he wants to rush Lauren to the altar with all due haste. He quickly realizes that something is not quite right about Lauren's health and uses underhanded methods to find out what’s wrong. But her health concerns do not put him off. He wants it all with Lauren, and over the course of the weekend it’s full steam ahead to get Lauren to fall in love with him. But does she--or doesn’t she?

This stand-alone story has ensured Gail Faulkner a place on my list of authors to look out for. I love both of the characters, but Romeo has a special place in my heart. He is a man who loves and feels deeply, who protects those he considers his own and he knows his own mind. He is also rugged and handsome to boot. What more could a girl ask for? Lauren’s character is also one that is endearing to me. In her life, she has faced much hardship, and is soon to face more. Her naivety about so many aspects of adulthood and the impact this has on her experiences ensures that the reader can empathize with her and hope she can break free of the restrictions she has thus far had on her life to gain all the experiences most women her age have already had.

At times this story brought a tear to my eye and all along I was caught up in the developing relationship between the two. With steamy sex scenes, which include some anal play, this is one that has both the emotional and the physical side of a relationship well covered. A definite read for those who can’t resist a sensitive contemporary erotic romance; Romeo is highly recommended for all.

Reviewed By Elizabeth
© August 2005