Stepbrother, Mine

With deft attention to detail but too many obvious contrivances, Carew turns a taboo erotic situation into a mere flirtation with the forbidden. Dana Reynolds is persuaded to sell her virginity to the highest bidder, and the purchaser turns out to be her stepbrother, whom she barely knows. While such a relationship seems forbidden at first blush, Carew has carefully constructed the arrangement to remove any hint of an objectionable interaction. The erotic scenes toy with kink but never stray from generally acceptable material. The lovers round the romantic bases with merely a splash of naughtiness, and even their own misgivings are acknowledged to be for the sake of appearances. Carew dresses her story up in scandal without becoming bogged down in harsh realities; freed of consequence, the narrative has plenty of room to indulge in a pleasing love story that will satisfy romance fans but do little for those who hoped for scandalous transgression. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency. (Dec.)