When Christy Sheridan is overheard making a drunken vow to get more quality sex by bad boy Cole Bowden, she has no idea what she has set into play. Because Cole is more than interested in making her plans come true. Embarrassed that she was caught, she tries to turn him down, but he suggests a win-win deal, he provides her with all the sex she wants-and he guarantees it will be quality-and she provides him cover from the overly insistent women in town who have set their sights on him. This situation has gotten increasingly out of hand now that his younger brother, James has done the unthinkable, fallen in love and got himself engaged. Since Christy is only planning to be there for the summer, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

With some reservations, Christy agrees, and from the very start, the sex is off the charts. However, soon both begin to worry that they won't be able to just walk away. They each have strong reasons not to get emotionally attached. Christy's fiancé had been a slug, and she caught him in the act of cheating, not to mention that her histrionic prone mother had a revolving bedroom door. Cole's mother walked out on their family when Cole was a boy, despite his pleas for her to stay. Needless to say, they are ripe for misunderstandings.

So when the critical situations occur, will Christy be able to believe that Coel didn't really want to be naked, in the arms of a woman, when she walks into the house unannounced? And will Cole be able to handle seeing Christy's bags packed with her ex-fiancé in tow? Or will he assume that she is ditching him?

With Heavy Issues Elle Aycart has cemented herself as an author for whom I will always be on the lookout. Her first book in the Bowden family series, More Than Meets the Ink, caught me immediately with her dry sense of humor and sexy scenes, combined with real emotional involvement. In this book, she has fine-tuned those abilities to produce an entirely enjoyable read. Her depiction of both characters is absolutely believable. Their "heavy issues" are certainly that, but are not over done, and it is easy to relate to the way that Christy and Cole react to the events as they occur. This is not to say that Christy is not immanently more rational, but it only seems fair, seeing how James was the more sensible one in his story. Speaking of whom, James pops in here for a welcome as a cameo, but it is done so seamlessly there is no need to have read the earlier book. Although, again, there is a whole lot of emotional depth here, Ms. Aycart has turned up the heat even more, so be prepared to have your glasses steam up with this one! Five Angels, plus Recommended Read.

Reviewed by: Lynn