Secretly Dating the Lionman

In Brown’s second Cowboys and Angels contemporary romantic drama (after Speed Dating the Boss), a stripper meets the man of his dreams, but they have far to go before they can hit happily ever after. When Cris Peters, who goes by the stage name of “the Lionman,” meets businessman Bennett Petrovski, the two hit it off after an initially rocky start. Unfortunately, though Cris is out and proud, Bennett is firmly in the closet as far as his conservative family is concerned. Bennett’s younger brother, Mikey, is also gay and even more confused about what he truly wants. As much as Cris wants to settle down with Bennett, the Petrovski family drama may be too much to handle. Meanwhile, Cris stands at a crossroads between his career as a stripper and his dreams as an artist. There’s not much suspense regarding the romantic aspect of this tale; Cris and Bennett have an easy, natural chemistry that serves them well as they fight to be accepted by Bennett’s parents and figure out their future together. Brown spins a lively, emotionally satisfying story with complex characters and explicit sensuality. (Dec.)