American Asshole (Bachelor International, Book 1)

Erotic romance fans will swoon for Me’s sizzling enemies-to-friends tale of two dating agency bosses who find love with each other. After Dee Matthews dies in a car crash, her daughter, Mia, co-owner of Cross My Heart, a Boston-based boutique dating agency, finds out that Dee had taken out a $250,000 loan—from Tenor Butler, owner of Cross My Heart’s biggest competitor, Bachelor International. As Mia is unable to repay Tenor, he says he’ll forgive the loan if she closes Cross My Heart and goes to work for him. Reluctantly, she agrees, taking the opportunity to investigate why Dee needed all that money. Tenor has long had feelings for Mia, but has a strict policy of not getting involved with employees. On a business trip to Atlanta, Mia runs into an old acquaintance, who tries to sexually assault her, and Tenor comes to the rescue. The two fall hard for each other, and Tenor breaks his cardinal rule for her. But after an ex of Mia’s tries to make Tenor believe she’s not genuine in her feelings for him, his fixer steps in and intimidates her into agreeing to stay away from him—until Tenor finds out. Me (The Mentor and the Master) carefully and sympathetically handles the attempted sexual assault, although some readers might find the vivid scene distressing. Scorching sex, well-developed characters, occasional bursts of humor, and skillful plotting make Me’s series launch a must-read. (BookLife.)