cover image The Forever Game

The Forever Game

Jonathan Luckett. Strebor Books, $14 (321pp) ISBN 978-1-59309-116-3

Luckett's D.C. trio of black urban professionals-Erika, a beautiful doctor; Trey, a supersmooth lawyer and Vince, an artist who, among other things, makes gorgeous, gallery-quality masks-return for further adventures in love in Luckett's steamy sequel to The Mating Game. The book opens as two women with whom Vince has shared an intense New Orleans sojourn show up on his doorstep, and try to recreate the magic. Next, Trey narrates his first, seredipitous encounter with Layla, which leaves him ""completely and utterly sprung."" By the time the three finally converge at a local club, there have been plenty of goings on. The plot never falls into place, relying on some wrenching twists, but Luckett stages some nicely-drawn scenes where the friends discuss their feelings, and keeps the action and drama coming at a vigorous clip.