Dianna Harrington aka "The Face" for the House of Harrington, her family-owned modeling house, has a secret crush on her childhood friend, Alex, brother of her best friend, Catherine Stewart Grayson. In fact, Dianna likes Alex so much, she's considering an affair with him—no strings, no attachments—which is the most she believes she can hope for with him or any man, given the ineptitude sermons her parents have preached to her for her entire life.
Alex, on the other hand, has a secret crush too. On Dianna, although he has no plans to ever tell her. He's been her protector and friend forever, and believes she'll never see him as anything more. So when Dianna proposes a more intimate relationship, will he risk his relationship with his best friend?
A SEDUCTIVE KISS is the latest installment in the Grayson Family and Friends series by Francis Ray. Catherine Grayson, Alex's sister, is married to Luke Grayson, one of the Grayson brothers. Although Catherine and Luke play a role, this story is all about Dianna and Alex.
What's beautiful about Dianna and Alex's developing romance is that they quickly get past the question of whether they're attracted to one another, and moreover, whether they care for each other. So many romances today pit the hero against the heroine. Not here. I love that their external problems—particularly Dianna's issues with the House of Harrington—don't create a whole lot of conflict between them. Their real problem is whether they will trust their feelings for each other and ignore all the factors, like Dianna's parents, suggesting perhaps they should not get together.
Ray continues to write sexy, sensual romance, the kind that keeps the tension high and both the characters and the readers wanting. When the characters finally express their love physically, her words and descriptions are just short of poetic. A phrase commonly used to refer to old-school classic R&B is "grown folks' music." Ray writes "grown folks' romance", the kind that seduces the reader as much as any kiss.
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