Hold Me Close

This contemporary erotic romance opens with lovers Effie and Heath relishing a few moments of steamy, kinky fun—literal slap-and-tickle. Thirty-something Effie both loves and hates Heath for the violent sex they both enjoy. She yearns for a long-term committed relationship that’s a little more vanilla. Heath really loves Effie, and he’s certain that vanilla just can’t happen, due to their shared history of captivity and abuse at the hands of a malevolent kidnapper. Heath believes their need to link passion and pain can’t be overcome. Effie isn’t so sure, and she wants to be a better role model for her 11-year-old daughter, Polly. If this all seems complicated, that’s because it is, but Hart does an admirable job of sustaining readability. Some grisly child abuse flashbacks serve as backstory for complex yet sympathetic adult characters seeking normalcy in a world that has dealt them a bad hand. (Dec.)