Sugar

December 12, 2016
The one-sided first-person narrative and lack of romantic chemistry make this romance difficult to swallow. Pastry chef and control freak Charlie Garrett is all work and no play. Her boss has been promising for years to make her the head pastry chef; tired of waiting, she accepts a job offer from her ex and moves to Seattle. Charlie’s best friends are determined to see her in a relationship, so they set her up with diner owner Kai Malloy, whom she’d only briefly encountered once. Despite her quirky, irritating ways, Kai likes her enough to be patient with her busy life, which soon includes a filming schedule. Readers aren’t privy to Kai’s past or his innermost thoughts, so it’s difficult to understand why he’s willing to stay with Charlie despite her refusal to make him a priority. The relationship feels forced rather than developed. Stuart (the Heidi Elliott series) has some talent with prose, but there’s nothing sweet about this bland romance. Agent: Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary.

November 15, 2013
A retiring adult entertainment icon leaves Los Angeles for New York City to take care of her sick best friend and winds up in a sexy new relationship that ultimately makes her yearn for more. Sarah Halliday, aka Sugar, the most famous porn star ever, has just wrapped her 100th film. Ready to move on, she still lets her manager convince her to announce an extended vacation rather than retirement, then heads back to her roots in NYC, where her best friend is suffering from breast cancer and struggling to take care of her 7-year-old son. Sarah settles into a modest SoHo apartment within walking distance of Liz and Jonathan and then meets the sexy-yet-troubled Cole in dramatic fashion after he chases down her snatched purse. Intrigued and attracted, she finds out quickly that he's the son of a wealthy old-money family. Despite some reservations, she enters into a friends-with-benefits, no-emotional-attachment sexual relationship with him. Of course, things get complicated as they grow closer. Navigating sex, family, reputation, cancer and external friendships involves a complex cocktail of emotions, especially once genuine affection and protective instincts kick up on both sides. Can they put pride and fear aside in order to work toward the shared future that might save them both? Adult entertainment icon Jameson pairs up with Tarr--a romance author known for sexy yet emotional stories--to co-write her first erotic romance. There are obvious parallels to Jameson's real life, as well as sizzling sex scenes and a spectrum of heart-wrenching elements, including an endearing child, a war hero and a stalker. Well-done and intriguing for the right audience, but it's more graphic than typical light erotica. Tarr and Jameson create an engaging, touching, blazing hot story that packs a lot of sex, action and emotion.

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