Purely Sexual by Delta Dupree

Well done erotic romance with a dash of suspense.

Challie discovers a horrible crime and Donnie is the main suspect. He sees her as the sexy witness he should keep on his side. He has two options: take her to the dessert to kill her, or seduce her into marriage. He chooses the least violent path. One that will change their lives forever.

I've read a few books which are considered erotic romance where romance is the last thing taken care of. In Purely Sexual, romance takes the driver's seat and it's a pleasure to see how Challie and Donnie fall in love with one another. This story has a touching, human side. Identifying with the main characters is easy, as is understanding their motives, their needs and their dreams.

Sure, there are many explicit sex scenes, indeed, the sex is fantastic. My point is that the love scenes are, as they should be, a complement to the story not the storyline in itself. I think this book stands the non-sex test: which means, if we remove the explicitness from the many sex scenes, replacing them with kisses without completion, and keep a single love scene- like books used to have in the past - Purely Sexual would still be worth reading.

Challie grew up in a third world country, and has a traumatic past. She is an exotic beauty with a caring heart. She dreams, big dreams, which she thinks are unattainable. Like Donnie's love. Because of her origins and her childhood, she doesn't expect anything good from life. Even sex with Donnie is something she takes as a privilege, a memory to cherish, rather than hoping it will lead to anything permanent. Challie has limited sexual experience, which Donnie would increase without hesitation.

Donnie is a ruthless professional and a womanizer - the ultimate Italian macho man. Once he's alone with Challie, he changes. The transformation starts a few weeks before, but it takes a while to be complete and for Donnie to acknowledge it. He becomes tender, understanding, and considers monogamy for the first time in his life. The seducer gets seduced.

Delta Dupree has created a story I will remember long after reading this book. She assembles an interesting plot with surprising twists, subplots and believable secondary characters. I like both the hero and the heroine, which is important for me. Lately, I've encountered books where three dimensional characters equals 'unlikeable'. In Purely Sexual I learned of the characters' motivations through their inner thoughts, and it is done in a fresh, entertaining way.
This is one of the best books I've read this year. I highly recommend it.