Her Body of Work

Her Body of Work by Marie Donovan Harlequin Blaze # 204 - September 2005 It is only a matter of weeks before Marco must testify against the Miami drug lord. After working 13 months undercover, Marco knows that El Lobo will do anything including harming his family to stop his testimony. After safely sending his mother on a six week honeymoon cruise, he goes to Chicago to convince his brother to take a long holiday. As luck would have it, Francisco is very happy to leave town for awhile, he has a chance at a part in a new soap opera filming in LA. Only one hitch though, if he doesn't land the part, he'll need his modeling career to fall back on, and that means he can't mess up the job he promised to take here in Chicago. Marco wants his brother out of town so he agrees to do the job. Rey has finally earned the commission that will launch her career as a serious artist. Her agent tells her that her latest work has lacked inspiration and that she'd better get her act together and put more passion into her work. She can't blow this opportunity. Marco's shocked when he discovers that Rey only paints nudes --- male nudes. Rey is pleasantly surprised when Marco bares all and proves to be just the model for the Mars sculpture that will earn her six figures. And Marco seems more than capable of providing the inspiration to bring her work to life, after all she can barely keep her hands off him. In Marco's mind there's only one draw back to this little modeling gig; he's really a DEA agent on the run and El Lobo will not rest until he wins. But a few weeks in Rey's studio, pretending to be her Roman god of war, is more temptation than he can resist. WOW ... what a hot, sexy, sensual read. The chemistry between Marco and Rey is there right from the beginning and keeps on right to the end. While the love scenes are explicit, they are extremely well written and creative. The scene in the sauna was very erotic. Both Rey and Marco are very diverse characters, with believable pasts and lifestyles. This is not just a book with sex scenes. I very much enjoyed the story of Marco and Rey. Bravo to Ms. Donovan on her debut novel. I'm looking forward to reading more from her. This book has been on my TBR from my Blaze subscription. I think one of the reasons it's been on the pile so long is because of the cover model for Marco. He just looked too young and didn't really appeal to me. But reading Ms. Donovan's Dear Reader letter inside the book encouraged me to look past that. I'm so very glad I did.

This was a really good example of what Blaze books can be, when done right. I tend to have a kind of love/hate relationship with this line. I really love a romance where the sex is steamy and works to develop the relationship, and I've found some Blaze authors who are really good at that. However, when Blazes are bad, they tend to really stink. I especially detest: a) ridiculously contrived setups which are supposed to be sexy but are just silly, b) mechanical love scenes which add nothing to the story and are just there because the author thinks because this is a Blaze, she needs to add X number of love scenes, whether the story asks for them or not. Sadly, both a) and b) apply to a large percentage of the Blaze books I've read. The good news is, they definitely do not apply to this one. As for a), the setup here is sexy and provocative, but not at all silly. Marco is a formerly undercover DEA agent whose cover has been blown. He's now on the run from the drug dealers he'd infiltrated and, knowing that they will try to get to him through his family, the first thing he does is to get them out of the way. His mother is easy: off she goes on a cruise of the Mediterranean. Then it's on to Chicago, to try to get his model/actor brother out of the city. He lucks out, because Francisco has an audition in LA, but before he goes, he guilts Marco into covering for him and showing up to an audition for a sculptor. After all, they look similar enough, at least at first glance, and that way, Francisco's agent won't be pissed and he'll still have a job if his LA thing doesn't work out. The artist who's looking for a model is sculptor Rey (short for Freyja) Martinson, and she specializes in naked men. She's looking for the perfect model for a big commission, a marble sculpture of Mars for an important client, which will finally put her on the map if it's a success. The sparks fly on Marco and Rey's very first meeting, and in spite of their reservations -Rey because she's had bad experiences with her models and has long made it her policy not to get sexually involved with any of them, and Marco because he's on the run and knows he's going to have to get out of town soon- they're soon creating even more sparks, between the sheets. I very much enjoyed this. Both Rey and Marco are interesting, likeable characters, and they have some very nice chemistry. I thought Donovan did a wonderful job in using her frequent and imaginative love scenes to show the slow progress of their relationship, from simply a very strong attraction to fondness and tenderness and finally love. And when I say imaginative, I mean it! It's actually pretty kink-free, but there are certain things there I haven't seen elsewhere in Romanceland (the Cubana, BTW, we call Russian here. Interesting!) Another plus is that both Rey and Marco are immigrants, she from Sweden, he from Cuba, and the exploration Donovan does of the immigrant experience, of how it affected them and shaped who they are

Marco Flores was hiding out in Chicago. Things had gotten too hot for the Miami-based DEA agent while he waited to testify against his arch-enemy, the drug lord Juan Carlos Rodriguez, known as El Lobo. All Marco wanted was a place to lay low for awhile, but he got more than he bargained for when he agreed to stand in for his younger brother at a modelling gig. What Marco didn't know was the job was to pose nude for artist Rey Martinson, who was working on her breakthrough commission of a 10-foot marble sculpture of Mars, the god of war. Things quickly heated up between Marco and Rey, and Rey's "no sex w/ models" rule fell by the wayside. The resulting sex scenes were definitely steaming HOT. (OK--here's where I must confess that I found the fruit and vegetable scene (especially the cucumber!) to be a bit over the top. It's probably just me, tho--maybe most readers wouldn't bat an eyelash. In fact, this little teaser might even pique some readers's interest. You know who you are.) Marco and Rey had more going for them than hot sex. (How lucky can you get?) Ms. Donovan did an excellent job with her portrayal of two people from vastly different immigrant cultures getting to know and appreciate one another. The cool Swede and the hot Cuban complemented each other perfectly. Shadowing everything was the threat that Rodriguez posed to Marco and everyone close to him. Marco had a very personal relationship w/ Rodriguez for almost 20 years, and bringing him down had been a near obsession. This storyline was very well done, believable, and added just the right amount of tension w/out overwhelming the romance. Ms. Donovan's note to her readers indicated this was her first book, but you certainly wouldn't know it from the way she deftly balanced a good story and likeable characters (including a hunky male lead) w/ terrific chemistry together. (Side note to Harlequin: The guy on the cover of this book looks like he's in high school. Definitely not a hot, tough Marco/god of war type. I tried not to look at the jail-bait cover while I was reading the book.)

This is a great book! I've never read anything by Marie Donovan before, but you can bet I'll be looking for more of her work. Rey is a likable character just trying to find love in all the wrong places, until Marco shows up on her doorstep one day for a modeling gig. Of course he isn't a model and there in lies part of the fun and suspense since he's really a DEA agent on the run. Donovan is able to take two people who otherwise might not have much in common and give us a wonderful romance as well as some great love scenes. I'd highly recommend this book for its story as well as its passion. You'll be caught up from the first page!

Chicago artist Rey Martinson needs a model for a sculpture that she has been commissioned to do for a very wealthy client. This is the chance of a lifetime for Rey, but she just can't get into the project. Her agent suggests that a little sexual action might be just what Rey needs; Rey totally disagrees, until she sees prospective model Marco Flores. Marco is an undercover DEA agent who has gone to the interview with Rey as a favor for his look-alike actor/model brother Francisco, who has been called to California for a soap opera audition. Rey has seen dozens of nude male models, and has always remained unaffected by them, but Marco brings about wicked thoughts that Rey has not experienced for a very long time. Marco is also shocked at the feelings Rey evokes in him and is instantly attracted to her. When Marco sets out to seduce Rey, she is helpless in dissuading him and the two begin an incredibly hot love affair, sharing their bodies and eventually their hearts. Rey does not know Marco's true identity, nor that he is on the run from a Colombian drug lord who is determined to get rid of Marco and those close to him before he can testify at an upcoming trial. Having his mother away on her honeymoon for several weeks and his brother across the country, Marco is certain that they are safe, but strange happenings make him begin to fear for Rey's life. Rey does not expect to fall in love with Marco, although she finds herself doing just that. Marco is falling equally fast, and makes sure that Rey knows how he feels about her and his hopes for their future together, but he is unsure of how she will react when she finds out that he has been deceiving her about who he really is. Ms. Donovan has written one hot book with HER BODY OF WORK; these characters are attracted to each other immediately and watching their mutual attraction blossom and grow into something much deeper is a real pleasure. Marco is a hero of womanly dreams and the insight into his Cuban heritage is very interesting. He's caring, considerate, respectful and ever so charming. Rey is a strong, driven woman who is intelligent and passionate and unafraid and unashamed to show either of those characteristics. A little danger, a little suspense, and a lot of sensuality make this a very enjoyable book. Courtesy Laurie/Romance Junkies