"Tense and sizzling story"

Emily Parker spent most of her childhood living on the streets after her alcoholic mother died, and she ran away from her foster home. She did whatever was necessary to survive but that ended five years ago and she has since graduated from college and become gainfully employed by a man willing to give her a chance despite her juvenile record. Then her employer asks her to smuggle a piece of stolen art out of the country and the past she has struggled to change comes rushing back.

Art insurance investigator Steve Gallagher is searching for a priceless Cuzin painting that has been stolen. He discovers the thief's body with a bullet in his head. The thief is dead, the painting is not among his possessions, and his assistant Emily Parker is missing. Steve believes she knows where the painting is but first he'll have to find her before someone else. Someone who, unlike him, is willing to kill to get that information. When Emily turns up at his home disguised and using an alias name, Steve finds himself captivated by her. And although Emily is a streetwise con with a police record going back many years, he still cannot resist her.

Emily is running for her life, and like when she lived on the streets, she will do anything to survive -- including offering her body to Steve to dominate and use whenever and however he pleases.

This story like all of Ms. Trent's work is hot. The tension between Steve and Emily starts out subtly and builds to a sizzle. When they finally consummate their relationship the sex boils over. I highly recommend this book!

Rating: Sensual. Sensuality: oral, anal, light BDSM

Reviewed by Angela Black for Sensual Romance.

Reviewed by Sensual Romance
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted May 9, 2004

Originally published in 2002 by Ellora's Cave.

Summary

For Emily Parker, art insurance investigator Steven Gallagher is prepared to bleed.

Emily is a liar and a thief, a former juvenile delinquent, and Steve's damn sure she's involved somewhere in The Cuzin Case he's working on. And it doesn't matter. He doesn't care about any of it, including the fact she's using him...and sex...to get whatever it is she's after. Regardless of everything-ethics, morality, the law-regardless that he swore off women years before, Steve falls hard for the little con artist, a streetwise gutsy chick who refuses to let a bad past beat her down. To keep Emily safe, he'll put it all on the line, do whatever it takes...

Except trust his heart to his Lost Angel.