Hottest of the series and the first one I would classify as erotica. "The Return of Patrick O'Rourke" by N.J.Walters tells the story of two characters who appeared in the first 'Jamesville' series book "Discovering Dani". Patrick is Dani's younger brother and Shannon is Dani's mother-figure's niece. Tight, realistic story with some meat about an abused woman taking back her sexuality and control.

Patrick is recuperating from a successful drug bust shootout that cost him his partner and left him seriously injured. His sister, Dani, drags him back to Jamesville to recover at her house. Patrick runs into Shannon, a waitress and old acquaintance, and is drawn to her almost against his will. Impatient with his recovery rate, he jumps at the opportunity to act as her bodyguard when he discovers her abusive ex has been released from prison early and is threatening her. The more time he spends in Jamesville and with Shannon, the more conflicted he becomes about exactly what his future should hold.

Shannon is a complex woman. She had a crush on Patrick when she was younger, but he never really noticed. She stayed in an abusive marriage for 10 years until her husband almost killed her. The depiction of an abused spouse is eerily accurate and may bother those who are familiar with like situations. Shannon is, however, determined to reclaim her confidence and her sexuality and is making progress. Then her ex is apparently released early from prison and begins his taunting phone calls. Will she ever really be free of him?

Enjoyed this one all the way. Patrick is hot, hot, hot. A dark knight and protector and WAY yummy. I can't wait for Shamus' story which is currently available in ebook and will be released in print November 2008. And Gill Baron's (the Alabama detective who helped Shannon prosecute her ex) story "A Legal Affair" was just released in ebook and is not yet scheduled for print release. Check out N.J.Walter's website for more info. http://www.njwalters.com ( )