Janelle Denison's BORN TO BE WILDE

The first Janelle Denison http://www.janelledenison.com/ book I read (many years ago) was FORBIDDEN and while I haven't read every single one of her books, I've read the biggest share. Readers have devoured her "Wilde" series; the most recent addition to this popular series is BORN TO BE WILDE, releasing September 7, 2007. This book tells the story of Joel Wilde and Lora Marshall, and it's a winner!
My review of BORN TO BE WILDE:
Lora Marshall is a hard working young woman, a masseuse in a spa by day and a bar waitress at night. Having a broken engagement in the not too distant past, Lora initially resists the irresistible Joel Wilde, although she finds herself undeniably attracted to him. Lora doesn't realize that their meeting isn't purely coincidental; Joel is secretly watching out for Lora as a favor to her brother Zach, who has gotten himself into a deadly chase with some vicious thugs over unpaid gambling debts. Lora's life has been threatened as a result of this debt. When Lora is unexpectedly attacked at work, Joe's protection intensifies and he refuses to leave her side. Lora soon discovers the truth about their meeting, but her initial anger quickly dissipates when she discovers and appreciatively understands the reasons behind Joel's secrecy.
Joel owes a huge favor to Lora's brother, a former fellow Marine, after Zach saved his life in Iraq. His unquestionable sense of obligation, however, isn't the only reason Joel doesn't balk at Zach's request. Lora is a beautiful young woman and watching over her is hardly a hardship. It isn't long before the wall that Joel has solidly kept around his heart begins to crumble in response to Lora's gentle, loving nature.
Janelle Denison has once again given her readers an intriguing continuation of the Wilde family with Joel and Lora and and their story. Both are driven characters who possess unwavering devotion to family and friends, both ever conscious of who they are deep within themselves and never losing sight of their personal desires and goals. Joel's determination to succeed in helping his friend Zach get his life back on track is heartening. A blossoming relationship between secondary characters, and the pain and soul-searching that plays between them, is excellently written and is a wonderful addition to this book. While I would encourage readers who haven't enjoyed the previous books in the "Wilde" series to do so, I would also point out that each of them, including BORN TO BE WILDE, capably stand on their own.
Janelle and author Leslie Kelly (http://lauries-laudanum.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html) have a fun contest running where readers have to find the shared scene in their books, BORN TO BE WILDE and OVEREXPOSED (Leslie's newest Blaze). How fun! The prize is a generous $50. Amazon gift certificate - tell me, who doesn't have at least $50. worth of goodies in their shopping basket at Amazon at any given time? Please see their websites for more details.
I hope you'll check out Janelle's book and let yourself get lost in Joel and Lora's tale!
Thanks as always,
Laurie