The Professional

Cole’s first Game Maker contemporary erotic romance (originally released in three digital segments) relies on adrenaline and inevitability. Natalie Porter’s curiosity about her birth parents leads her to the heart of the Russian mafia. Her father sends bodyguard Aleksandr Sevastyan first to watch over Natalie, and then to kidnap her and take her to Russia. Amid the dangers of mob life, Natalie and Aleksandr form a passionate, kinky relationship. Cole treads an old path with uncertain footing, as if conducting a tour at dangerous speeds, and there are few surprises. Though her depiction of BDSM enthusiasts sometimes lapses into stereotype, her enthusiastic writing helps to make up for it. This is wish-fulfillment fantasy written in a smooth voice that makes the best of an orphan girl’s sudden rise to a life of wealth, passion, and danger. (May)