The Wicked Bad

Gerrard (The Copper and the Madam) writes a spicy romance that sizzles with eroticism. Ronnie Barnes moves back to her hometown of Rockland, Md., after her short-lived California marriage ends in divorce. She is unprepared for her instantaneous attraction to Nick Crocetti when he walks into her bakery and asks her out to dinner. The former bad boy is even more attractive than she remembered him being in high school, and he makes it clear to Ronnie that he is just interested in sex%E2%80%94not a relationship. But as they continue seeing each other, Nick breaks some of his rules and lets Ronnie stay the night with him, and soon he becomes concerned that their fling might turn into romance. While the sex scenes are appropriately scintillating, the character development is minimal, undermining the idea of any type of lasting relationship developing between such shallow people. Though the story is fast paced, it will likely appeal only to those romance fans who enjoy graphic sex scenes as the primary focus. (Apr.)