RUNNING BARE - Lacey Thorn
Bare Love, Book 5
Ellora’s Cave - www.ellorascave.com
ISBN: 978-1-41992-152-0
April 2009
Erotic Contemporary Romance - Short Story

Hidden Falls - Present Day

Julia White had just about decided that tonight had just been another unsatisfying night all alone when she sees the tall, handsome man at the back of the bar.  With a quick signal, she and the stranger are alone in a storage closet, where he does a very good job of taking Julia’s mind off the disturbing case she’s been working on.  After she leaves him and is back home, the more than satisfying encounter manages to distract her enough, and Julia hopes that fate will be kind and bring the stranger back into her life at a better time.

Jack Madigan has followed a trail to Hidden Falls, hoping to find his long-absent brother.  If not, hopefully he’ll at least find proof that Ally, a young woman who recently moved to Jack’s hometown of Legacy, is his niece.  The “angel” that he meets in the bar becomes one more missing person Jack intends to find and, as luck would have it, he finds her right away.  Jack had only been looking for answers about his family, but he’s beginning to think he found something much more.

A one-night stand opens a door to love in RUNNING BARE.  Julia is the only female police detective in her small town, and her life has not had a lot of excitement, or chances for romance.  Jack lost the woman he loved a long time ago, but has since found his daughter, and through her another family with the Daniels clan.  He also has the people he works with, fellow former servicemen, mostly marines.  He hadn’t thought he could love another woman the way he loved Moira’s mother, but with Julia he has found love again.

There’s an added element of suspense, as Julia tries to find the person responsible for three missing women in her town, and readers get glimpses into the hell these women are suffering.  While this book is part of the Bare Love series, none of the characters from the earlier stories make an appearance, and it is somewhat separated from the series because of this.  An enjoyable short story whether you’ve read the previous books or not, look for RUNNING BARE.

Jennifer Bishop