Theirs to Cherish

Black’s eighth Wicked Lovers kinky erotic romance (after Ours to Love) suffers from a thin plot and a blurring of the line between BDSM and abuse. Heiress Callie Ward, accused of murder, has been hiding out at BDSM club Dominion for four years in an effort to avoid authorities. She has no idea that her current master, Sean Kirkpatrick, is an undercover FBI agent trying to piece together her story. Sean is being closely watched by Callie’s boss, Mitchell Thorpe, who suspects Sean’s motives and is also driven by intense jealousy over Sean’s relationship with Callie. Eventually the two rivals work together to gain Callie’s submission in the bedroom and then clear her name. Fans of the series will appreciate the hot ménage scenes, but the romantic element is almost nonexistent, and those who feel strongly about consent will take issue with the men imprisoning Callie in misguided attempts to protect her. (Mar.)