Over Exposed

Julian teases readers with the promise of a kinky encounter in a secretive salon, but the climax of the third Salon Games novel (after No Reservations) is dully vanilla. Burned-out movie producer Greg Hicks has had a crush on lingerie model Sabrina Rodriquez ever since he photographed her. Even though he’s 37 and she’s 23, Sabrina is nursing a reciprocal crush. When they get snowed in together at a Pennsylvania resort, they give in to their lust. They try to keep the affair discreet, but friends automatically intuit what’s going on and deliver sage relationship advice such as “He’s just a guy and guys aren’t great about saying what they really mean.” Trite conflations of possessive jealousy and true love will turn off romance fans, and the more kink-aware will be dismayed by Greg’s belated realization that perhaps he should have asked permission before pushing boundaries. (July)